Mississippi Board of Education as well as staff from two Mississippi school choice funds. My research further explores the academic and fiscal benefits of these school choice programs, as well as the social benefits of these programs on low-income and minority students.
Literature Review
One of the most important problems in evaluating the success of elective programs is the lack of definitive results and studies of existing programs, since most of these programs were introduced in the last ten years. There are currently fifty-nine school choice programs, twenty-five of which are voucher programs, twenty-nine tax credit/scholarship deduction programs, and five education savings account programs.
Conclusions
A combination of these programs could address many needs, while the shortcomings of each can be remedied by the use of other school choice programs. I begin this thesis with a background chapter to explore school choice in general as well as to present the views of school choice opponents and legal challenges to school choice programs.
BACKGROUND
Public Educational Problems
Unfortunately, this lack of progress seems to be continuing, and the overall quality of the schools is still not. Friedman attributed this lack of serious innovation in the traditional public school system to the effects of government monopoly.
Existing Programs
Currently, the traditional public school system across the country is failing children in low-performing schools, dropouts, inner-city children, English language learners, children on free and reduced lunch, and children with special needs. School choice programs are often created to specifically target these groups before expanding to all students and giving them options and an opportunity to improve their educational outcomes (Forster and Thompson, 2011).
Race in School Choice
An additional 2015 poll found support for charter schools at over 70 percent among Latinos, while 58 percent of union households supported school choice programs (Jeffries, 2015). In a study led by Diana Slaughter-Defoe of African American mothers participating in school choice programs in California, specifically charter schools and publicly and privately funded voucher programs for private schools, researchers found that the African American community is increasingly supportive of choice schools with many parents show their support by their willingness to enroll their children in optional school programs.
Opposition to School Choice
Seven of these studies found that school choice programs moved students from more segregated schools to schools that were less segregated. In general, the implementation of school choice programs has not shown the negative racial effects of increased segregation suggested by critics.
Conclusion
A Democrat state representative claims in a Facebook post that charter schools should not be allowed because they: "Select the students they want, exclude students with disabilities, kick out students they don't want, kick out students who make low grades , and refuse to accept students who do not speak English well enough" (Hughes, 2016). Thus, this thesis is intended to explore school choice as a set of options to help improve education in Mississippi, while being used in conjunction with a number of other, non-choice reform options.
CHARTER SCHOOLS”
Definition
This compromise between full autonomy while being fully publicly funded and operating with state-sanctioned oversight and accountability offers states the ability to take a first step toward implementing education reform and school choice. Because of this fundamental theory, charter schools are allowed significantly more discretion in their decision-making, while being freed from many of the regulations that traditional public schools must endure. to them.
Background
Indeed, researchers at Harvard University and the Ford Foundation have recognized charter schools as one of the nation's best public policy initiatives (Nathan, 2002). In many states considering expanded school choice reforms, charter schools have often been the first type of program adopted due to their possession of this broader base of political support across parties and demographic groups.
What Have Other States Done?
Of the remaining seven states, charter schools may be implemented in the near future. Florida currently has a very active charter school environment, with 427 charter schools serving more than 150,000 students, representing five percent of Florida's total K-12.
What the Research Says
Hoxby also found charter schools that had been in operation longer had a greater proficiency advantage over the matched public schools. Some fiscal savings are often realized immediately, as many states fund charter schools at a lower rate than traditional public schools. The authors note, “In all states, charter schools deliver a greater [Return on Investment] ROI than [traditional public school] TPS” (Burke, 2014).
PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS”
The various expansions of eligibility for students under Indiana's Choice Scholarship program are also shown in Figure 34. The statewide voucher program was met with an initially crippling legal ruling when the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that the voucher program funds were unconstitutionally manner were used as part of the state's public school financing system. However, the DOJ dropped this lawsuit in November 2013 after analyzes of the program's effect on racial stratification showed that the voucher program actually improved school integration measures (Ciernak, Stewart, and Ruddy, 2015).
Reasons for never using an OSP Scholarship
John Witte of the University of Wisconsin-Madison found in his March 2011 evaluation that 76.6 percent of voucher students in the Milwaukee program graduated on time, compared to only 69 percent of their peers in public schools. More importantly, voucher students who remained in the program throughout high school achieved a 94 percent graduation rate (Burke, 2013). In 2011, Governor Scott Walker signed a second countywide voucher program, the Racine Parental Private School Choice program for students across the United States.
Additional Research
Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) represent the newest school choice program and act as an improvement on the traditional school voucher program in the eyes of many school choice and voucher advocates (Lips, 2015). The $6,500 annual award amount may increase or decrease in the same proportion as the calculated amount of Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding the state provides to public schools ("The ABCs of School Choice," 2016). The IEA program will provide parents with an education savings account to pay for a variety of direct educational services for students, including private school tuition, online education, tutoring, therapy, curriculum, Tennessee postsecondary institutions, and other approved expenses (“School Choice Alphabet,” 2016) .
What Does the Research Say?
Some parents have used these services as a supplement to their child's private school education, while others have used these services to provide a customized education for their child completely separate from a traditional brick and mortar school. This outcome serves to support proponents' claims that parents will save a portion of their ESA funds, thereby increasing competition among vendors to provide better quality educational services at lower prices as parents seek to balance their child's education. with the best price to simultaneously save funds for future years or for their child's college tuition. Friedman's dream of school choice in which parents are able to customize their child's educational experience to create a student-centered education system that empowers families.
Public Opinion
The limited amount of research available, conducted primarily in Arizona, has shown a remarkable 100 percent parental satisfaction rate of Arizona parents in the ESA program, while serving as a model for other states pursuing ESA programs. Parents are able to withdraw their child from traditional public school and then receive a certain amount of funds in an education savings account that allows parents to purchase direct educational services, including but not limited to private school tuition , also saving the remaining funds. With this program, states add another school choice option that parents can choose from and provide more school choice and control over their child's education, while also increasing fiscal benefits for the state.
MOVING MISSISSIPPI FORWARD”
Mississippi’s Educational Background
As of 2016, 30 percent of Mississippi fourth graders scored proficient or higher in reading, while 26 percent scored proficient or higher in math. While these scores represent an increase in Mississippi's scores since 2009, they still have not moved Mississippi up the state rankings. Despite increases in spending by Mississippi school districts, combined with increasing allocations from the state Legislature to the point where Mississippi K-12 education spending accounts for 62.5 percent of the General Fund, schools have haven't seen any major expenses yet.
Why School Choice Is Important for Mississippi
By giving parents more control over their child's education by providing them with the resources and autonomy to choose their child's source of education as well as the ability to tailor the education to their child's individual needs, school choice programs increase parental involvement. Research on charter schools and voucher programs has shown that low-income and minority students often benefit most from school choice with increased student achievement in some subjects as well as an increased rate of high school graduation and college enrollment (Cunningham, 2013). These groups constitute the most at-risk student populations, as well as the best populations to target with school choice programs.
Proposal
How Mississippi Could Use Charter Schools
No competition is why our K-12 education system is in shambles (“School Choice Interview with . Representative Moore,” 2016). He believes that currently, a person has the choice of school if he or she can afford it. Kittredge believes the most feasible school choice programs for Mississippi include expanding the current ESA and charter school laws.
An All-Encompassing School Choice Proposal for Mississippi
These private schools will also be required to share student performance data of all students with parents and the public. Students from families above 200 percent of the federal poverty level, funding must be provided at 75 percent of the average Mississippi per pupil expenditures for public school students. Private schools that fail to meet performance standards for three consecutive years will be subject to no new students receiving school choice programs.
School Choice in Mississippi’s 2015 Legislative Session
The initial primary goal of expanding school choice in Mississippi through the expansion of charter schools, a voucher program, and a universal ESA program is to provide a "rescue" for parents of children trapped in underperforming schools by allowing parents transition their child from traditional public school to either a charter or private school, while also having the option of seeking tutoring, therapy, online instruction, or other methods. Second, and most importantly, the increased competition resulting from the expansion of school choice in Mississippi provides the "reform." Finally, Mississippi will be able to take advantage of a large majority of public support to implement and expand these school choice programs to achieve the widespread social benefits of increased parental satisfaction and involvement in their child's education, two factors that very much missing. Mississippi families.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
We should not stand in the doorway of the school building and oppose school choice." Empowerms.org. 63) "New research shows Black voters strongly support parents' choice of education options in their communities." Baeo.org .
