For a More Equitable RI, Empower Families with Educational Choice - Tarnowski

For a More Equitable RI, Empower Families with Educational Choice - Tarnowski

Many Rhode Islanders are fortunate enough to have had a positive public school experience. I was one of the lucky ones. Growing up in Scituate, I had access to excellent teachers, a safe learning environment, and relatively small class sizes. My local public school worked for me, but not every Rhode Island kid has the same story.

 

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the pandemic resulted in devastating levels of learning loss. America’s math scores regressed to 2003 levels and reading scores to 1992 levels. This only exacerbated an existing education crisis in the Ocean State.

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In a 2019 report, the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy highlighted that among other concerns, in state testing, just 10 percent of students in the Providence Public School district were proficient in Math, and just 14 percent were proficient in English Language Arts. With more than 80 percent of the district’s students being Black and Latino, this impact falls disproportionally on minority students.

 

In the wake of the state takeover, improvement goals were set to be achieved by the 2024-25 school year. Last year, citing the pandemic, the deadline was extended to 2027. By then, in state testing, the intention is to have 55 and 68 percent of third graders proficient in Math and English Language Arts and 50 and 63 percent of eighth graders proficient in the same subjects. By the time these improvements are hoped to be achieved, a student who was in fourth grade when the report was released will reach 12th grade.

 

Those who can afford it already have educational choice. They can pick up and move to neighborhoods with better-performing schools, send their kids to private school, or pay for a tutor. My mother attended Providence Public Schools. I want nothing more than to see them succeed, and I hope they do. With that being said, the heartbreaking reality is that many students are stuck in schools that don’t meet their needs with little hope of receiving the education they deserve. It’s time to empower all families – not just those who can afford it – with these opportunities.

 

Several states already do this. Less than 100 miles north, New Hampshire offers an income-based choice program to about a third of its students. Enacted in 2021, the Granite State’s Education Freedom Account program is a form of an education savings account (ESA), allowing eligible families to apply for an account in which funds can be used on qualifying educational expenses, such as private school tuition, tutoring, school-related transportation, etc.

 

Being one of the fastest growing programs in the nation, the number of participating students has doubled a year after launch. New Hampshire joins a growing number of states enacting broad programs, with six states taking it further, now offering ESAs to all families.

 

This momentum reflects broad popularity. According to a March Morning Consult/EdChoice poll, ESAs are supported by over 70 percent of school parents, Black, White, and Hispanic Americans, and both Democrats and Republicans.

 

Not only are these programs popular and becoming more prevalent, but the data show they are effective. Of the 28 empirical studies conducted on the impact of educational choice programs on the academic performance of students who remain at their public schools, 25 found positive effects.

 

Regarding test scores, a team of researchers conducted a meta-analysis to indicate how choice programs perform overall. It found that choice programs in the U.S. and internationally produced an overall positive effect on math and reading test scores.

 

Further, empirical studies examining the effects of school choice on educational attainment – the likelihood of graduating high school, enrolling in college, or attaining a college degree – tend to be positive. Of the seven studies examining educational outcomes, five found positive effects, two found no visible effects, and zero found negative effects.

 

The research is clear: Empowering families with educational options strengthens schooling in all forms – public, private, charter, and beyond.

 

Rhode Island’s kids deserve access to a high-quality education regardless of income, race, and zip code, and they deserve it now. For many families, their local public school will continue to be the option they feel is best suited to serve their needs. But for those who need or want something different, policymakers ought to empower parents to make the decisions they know best for their families. For a more equitable education system, it is time for the Ocean State to embrace education freedom.

 

Ed Tarnowski is a University of Rhode Island graduate and a state policy associate 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. He is published in National Review, The Washington Examiner, and Education Next.