The year of universal school choice

In 1955, economist Milton Friedman saw a problem in public education . He saw a system aiming to create good citizens, to equip students with valuable professional skills, and missing at both for too many families. As a solution, Friedman suggested funding students directly and letting families, not the government, figure out the education best for their needs. He wrote, “Transitioning from a system in which money goes to schools to a system in which money goes to students will improve the quality of education.”

Seventy years later, we are finally approaching a world in which Friedman’s vision is reality. In 2021, seven states enacted new private choice programs, and 14 more expanded existing programs.

That’s why education reformers have rightly declared this the “year of educational choice.” The year 2023 is blowing all previous years out of the water. This year, there were 112 bills introduced in 40 states relating to education savings accounts, or ESAs, vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, and refundable tax credits. Seventy-nine percent of those bills were related to ESAs.

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