Within the last year, more than 10 states have chosen to empower parents with more education freedom, and states like Texas and North Carolina, appear poised to follow suit in the coming months.
Education freedom is a concept that refers to the ability of parents to select the best educational opportunity for their children. It recognizes that all children are unique, full of potential, and deserving of a high-quality education that meets their individual needs.
“But what does education freedom look like?” You might ask. “What are specific policies that Mississippi can adopt that support education freedom?”
I’m glad you asked.
Education freedom policies empower parents to make educational decisions that are in the best interest of their children. Such policies vary by state, but among the options are:
Private school access
Education savings accounts (ESAs), tuition tax credits, scholarships, and vouchers have been widely used to offer parents the financial resources to assist with private school tuition. In addition to tuition, ESAs also offer other options to parents, allowing them to allocate money as they see fit for qualified education expenses like tutoring, nationally norm-referenced testing, educational therapies, online learning, and, in some cases, transportation.
Public school access
States have adopted many different policies that support more public school opportunities.
One such policy, known as open enrollment, allows students to transfer to a school other than the one to which they are assigned. If the school the student chooses is in a different district, there must be space to accommodate them. In Mississippi, students currently may transfer between school districts only if approved by the school boards of the district where they live and the district they wish to attend. The receiving district may charge tuition to do so. True open enrollment offers students more tuition-free options to attend a public school of their choosing.
Charter schools offer another public education option. These are tuition-free,
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