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It explains why educational choice is framed as meaningful education reform, outlines the goal of increasing informed decision-making, and clarifies key definitions and major program types, including vouchers, scholarship organizations, tax-based options, and education savings accounts.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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David Hodges  \nDecember 2019  \n— Introduction 1 —  \nEducational choice programs—defined broadly as programs that provide parents with financial aid to help their children opt out of the traditional public school system—area hallmark of meaningful educational reform. Yet despite widespread news coverage of such programs, polls show most Americans are unfamiliar with how educational choice programs work.2 Opponents of educational choice routinely take advantage of this knowledge gap by promoting various myths intended to confuse legislators and policymakers and thereby deter them from enacting educational choice programs.  \nIn recognition of this dynamic, the Institute for Justice (IJ) created this publication. Our goal is to dispel 12 of the most commonly circulated myths so that legislators and the public can make well-informed decisions about the merits of giving parents more control over their children’s education.  \nThere is no better time to talk about reform than right now. Publicly funded education needs real and dramatic change, and educational choice programs are a powerful catalyst for reform. These programs take power away from an education establishment (public sector unions, reform-blocking state departments of education, and self-serving school administrators) that seeks to preserve the status quo. The programs then transfer that power back to parents, who know better than almost anyone what kind of educational environment will best suit the needs of their children. Rather than empowering an administrator whose institutional interests do not always align with those of students and families, educational choice programs empower parents and children to get the education that is right for them.  \nAs the nation’s leading legal defender of educational choice, IJ stands with families nationwide who simply want to make the best choices for their children. With this publication, we seek to set the record straight on educational choice. By compiling the mountain of evidence on the effectiveness and constitutionality of educational choice, IJ hopes to better inform parents, the public, the media, and lawmakers as they examine this issue.  \n1  \nWhat does IJ mean when it uses the phrase“educational choice program”?  \nThis publication uses the term “educational choice program” rather than “school choice program” because of the growing popularity of programs that provide families with more than private school tuition aid. These programs cover everything from traditional costs like books to tutors or home education, as well as customized learning for things like speech and occupational therapies. Accordingly, when we talk about an “educational choice program,” we mean a program that provides parents with the means to choose from any of a variety of private educational options for their children.  \nWe make this distinction because, while there is a slowly increasing trend of providing greater parental choice within the traditional public school system, we believe those measures are frequently insufficient. Inter-and intra-district transfer options, charter schools, public online schools, and magnet schools operate within an educational framework that has hardly changed since its inception in the 19th century. Choice within or among public options alone presents no real competitive challenge to the traditional public school system’s monopoly over students whose parents cannot afford to either move to a better school district or send their children to private schools.  \nWhat are the main types of private educational choice programs?  \n1. A state or even local government can give publicly funded scholarships, often referred to as vouchers, directly to parents. Parents can then select the private (or sometimes public) school of their choice, using the scholarship as partial or total payment, depending on the terms of the program.  \n2. Private","cbCaidlk0Al0Xvqw","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidlk0Al0Xvqw","pdf",6409036,36,"English","# Introduction\n## What does IJ mean by “educational choice program”?\n## What are the main types of private educational choice programs?","[{\"question\":\"What is the publication’s purpose regarding educational choice programs?\",\"answer\":\"It aims to dispel 12 widely circulated myths so legislators and the public can make well-informed decisions about allowing parents more control over their children’s education.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the publication use the term “educational choice program” instead of “school choice program”?\",\"answer\":\"It uses “educational choice program” because many programs offer more than private-school tuition aid, covering a broader set of costs and educational services beyond traditional schooling.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the main types of private educational choice programs described?\",\"answer\":\"The document describes state/local voucher scholarships to parents, private scholarship-granting organizations funded by donations, personal tax deductions or credits for tuition and related expenses, and education savings account (ESA) programs for a wider range of educational goods and services.\"}]","12 Myths and Realities - About Private Educational Choice Programs | PDF",1792051471,91]