Problem:

• American education needs to evolve to leverage the unique learning styles and cultivate the talents of every child. At a time when students must develop the skills needed to succeed in an ever-changing world, nearly one-fourth of our 15-year-olds cannot read a basic, grade-level text, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
• Parents are children’s first, primary, and most influential teachers. Yet, too often, only affluent, well-connected parents can choose their children’s learning environment. All families should be empowered to choose an education setting where their children can reach their full potential.
• Consistent with our country’s rich diversity, families should be free to select the education setting whose mission, instructional approach, or faith values best match the student and family.

Demand:

1. Today, over half a million families are participating in private school choice programs in 26 States, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and even more Americans support these programs.
   • The Harvard Kennedy School’s 2019 Education Next survey found support for private school choice programs continues to grow. The most popular form of school choice—tax credit scholarships for low-income students to attend a private school—was supported by 58% of respondents. An American Federation for Children survey shows support is even higher among minority and millennial voters.
2. Yet, in many States, thousands of students are on tax credit scholarship waitlists.
   • In Florida, 14,000 students will be freed from scholarship waitlists following Governor DeSantis signing into law the Empowerment Scholarship Program.
   • However, in Pennsylvania, more than 50,000 students remain on scholarship waitlists following Governor Wolf vetoing a scholarship program expansion.
3. The number and percentage of school-age students whose families choose home education has doubled in the past 15 years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Solution:

• The Education Freedom Scholarships (EFS) proposal creates a $5 billion annual federal tax credit for businesses and individuals who voluntarily donate to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). Those SGOs provide scholarships to empower families to choose the right education option for their elementary and secondary students, which may be an independent or faith-based private school or a home education.
• States, not the Federal Government, identify SGOs and determine how to structure scholarship programs, including eligible students, education providers, and education expenses.
• EFS prohibits religious discrimination and protects parental rights in scholarship use.

States could empower families to use scholarships to pay for:

• Tuition and fees at a private school, including independent and faith-based private schools;
• Summer and after-school education programs offered by private schools;
• Tutoring offered by private school teachers to public and private school students;
• Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and honors courses;
• Academic enrichment courses like art, music, or world languages;
• Online courses offered by private schools and teachers to students, regardless of geography;
• Special education and related services for students with disabilities or unique learning needs;
• Remedial education services to assist students who are struggling academically;
• Educational technology to enhance instruction and support student learning;
• Internship, corporate work-study, and apprenticeship programs; and
• Home education expenses, including curriculum and other instructional materials.

Expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities for preschool children

Problem:

• The benefits of participating in high-quality early learning opportunities have been well documented, especially for vulnerable children and dual-language learners.
• However, high-quality early learning opportunities are not available to all children and families and states struggle to fund opportunities.

Solution:

• The Education Freedom Scholarships (EFS) proposal creates a $5 billion annual federal tax credit for voluntary donations to state-based scholarship programs.
• With EFS, states can seize the opportunity to empower families with preschool age children to access high-quality early learning opportunities, while relieving some of the financial pressure many families experience.

How EFS Can Expand Early Learning and Preschool Options:

• EFS can be used for preschool age children if the State includes preschool or prekindergarten in its definition of elementary education.
• States can design their programs to complement and expand existing public and private preschool programs and services. Scholarships can be focused, for instance, on expanding access to high-quality early learning opportunities and programs.
• The scholarships could cover allowable education expenses including, but not limited to:
  • Tuition and fees at a preschool of a family’s choice;
  • Transportation to a preschool provider;
  • Homeschool, cooperative or community-based preschool education expenses, including specialized preschool curriculum and educational materials;
  • Programs and services that support transition to kindergarten; and
  • Programs and services that complement and expand existing special education programs and services for preschool children with disabilities, including access to high-quality inclusive programs.

Looking Forward:

• High-quality early childhood interventions have positive effects on test scores. Importantly, positive effects are also sustained in the long-term, improving high school graduation, years of education completed, and earnings, and reducing crime and teen pregnancy according to a report recently published by the Society for Research in Child Development.
• Empowering preschool children with expanded access to high-quality early learning opportunities through Education Freedom Scholarships can help provide all children the foundation to succeed in school, work, and life.