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.
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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.
But mere vote-counting doesn’t do 2023 justice. What matters is that many of the school choice programs created or expanded this year provide universal student access, meaning all or nearly all students in those states will have the freedom to find an education that works best for them.
Six new states went universal with their programs — seven if you count Indiana’s now near-universal voucher. As it stands, eight states now have universal programs: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia. North Carolina could join the party this calendar year, as it seems likely it will expand its voucher program to universal as well.
As a result, nearly 1 in 5 students live in a state with universal (or near-universal) choice. After the most recent expansions, approximately 18 million students, or 37% of all students nationwide, are eligible for a private choice program. This is a 46% increase in access to private choice since two years ago.
Participation in these programs is going viral as well. The number of students actually using education savings accounts has nearly tripled, jumping from 33,000 in 2022 to 93,000 in 2023. Next year appears poised for a similarly exponential jump, based on reports out of Iowa and Florida, where applications have been flying in by the thousands.
Increased demand and applications are indeed worth celebrating. But now, the hard work begins. These programs must be implemented with fidelity.
Successful school choice programs, at the most basic level, must work as advertised. Families must be approved with minimal barriers and within a reasonable time frame. Funds must flow to parents and providers, and schools and vendors must be onboarded with relative ease for all involved. Nothing will tank your nobly intended program faster than the intended beneficiaries being disgruntled.
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Thus, we enter a new frontier. For decades, passing bills to expand choice has been the foremost desired end of education reform. And this is still a critical objective in many parts of the country.
However, in the many states that have now embraced Friedman’s vision, effective implementation of these programs is just as critical. That is the best way to honor Friedman’s vision that all students would have the opportunity to thrive in an educational setting that fits their unique needs and talents.
Marc LeBlond is director of policy at EdChoice, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to advance educational freedom and choice for all students as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society. Ed Tarnowski is a state policy associate there.
