FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITY WHEN A CHILD HAS A DISABILITY

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

The report examines how families educate children with disabilities using education savings account (ESA) programs, drawing on interviews with 28 parents in Arizona and Florida. It explains how ESA flexibility can address unmet needs when public schools fail to evaluate and provide required supports under IDEA. Families describe ESAs as a “lifeline,” but also highlight burdens from reimbursement rules, limited provider information, marketplace constraints, and the time and financial sacrifices—especially for parent-directed “customizers.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Key Findings

Unprepared public schools

Flexible funding and usage patterns

Disbursement and reimbursement burdens

Lack of reliable provider information

Reliance on personal resources

Flipping the script: Searching for opportunity when a child has a disability Ashley Jochim & Georgia Heyward September 2025 FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITY WHEN A CHILD HAS A DISABILITY Introduction Children with disabilities and their families have long been invoked in debates about the merits and potential costs of programs that provide public financing for private education alternatives. Critics of these programs allege that the loss of legal rights and guarantees afforded by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) risks children’s protection against discrimination and access to needed educational services. Proponents, in contrast, argue that IDEA has failed to deliver on its promise and that parental choice can give families freedom to secure solutions that will work better for them and their children. This debate has renewed importance in the wake of the rapid expansion of education savings account (ESA) programs, which provide eligible families with public dollars to support the purchase of educational products and services, including but not limited to private school tuition. As of 2024, 19 ESA programs in 17 states serve nearly half a million students, many of whom have a disability. Compared to a traditional voucher for private school tuition, ESA programs are designed to enable fully customizable educational experiences. Families can use education funding tied to their ESA on a wide range of eligible educational products and services—from tutoring to enrichment programs and homeschooling expenses. This flexibility may be especially attractive to families whose children rely on specialized educational products or services, as is common among students with disabilities. This report informs this debate, drawing on interviews with 28 parents in Arizona and Florida about their experiences educating a child with a disability using an ESA program. Though our study is exploratory by design, the stories families shared complicate the narratives that have dominated debates about private education choice. Contrary to the claims of critics, the families we spoke to described ESA programs as a “lifeline,” one usually secured after a long slog through multiple traditional and charter schools where their children’s needs were left unaddressed. Contrary to the claims of supporters, tapping this lifeline required vast expenditures of time and money, significant personal sacrifice, and too often failed to deliver the solution families most wanted: a school that could meet their child’s needs. 2 CENTER ON REINVENTING PUBLIC EDUCATION FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITY WHEN A CHILD HAS A DISABILITY Key Findings Families turned to ESAs when public schools were unprepared to meet their children’s needs. Families described turning to ESAs in response to shortcomings in traditional public schools. Those included regular failures to evaluate and meaningfully act on their children’s needs, even when legally required. As one parent said,“[His public school] could not accommodate his IEP. He needed a one-on-one aide. They could not do that… I had to pull him; I didn’t have a choice.” Families made use of flexible funding to secure support that would otherwise be unavailable. Most interviewed families (79%) used ESA funds to purchase materials, support services, or curriculum. Half of these families used the ESA to supplement private school tuition (“supplementers”), while the other half created fully customized, parent-directed educational programs (“customizers”) . Most customizers described arriving at the approach after having tried and failed to secure a public or private school alternative that would work for their children. As one said,“There is no [school] choice for my family. ESAs are what we have.” Disbursement and reimbursement procedures created significant burdens for families. Both supplementers and customizers described obstacles to using ESAs to purchase goods or

FAQs

What problem does the report focus on regarding ESA programs for children with disabilities?

The report focuses on how ESA programs are experienced by families when public schools are unable or unwilling to provide adequate supports for children with disabilities.

How do families use ESA funds, according to the report?

Most interviewed families use ESA funds to buy materials, support services, or curriculum. About half supplement private school tuition, while the other half create fully customized, parent-directed programs.

What challenges do families report when using ESAs?

Families report significant burdens from reimbursement and marketplace price penalties, difficulty accessing reliable information about providers, and heavy time and money demands to sustain participation.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James