Setting the education choice gold standard for Idaho. By Fred Birnbaum (08/13/24)

idahofreedom.org/setting-the-education-…

Birnbaum explains how school choice helps level the playing field so that parents — rich, poor, and in between — can provide the best education for their kids.

School choice allows money to “follow the child,” enabling children to receive the best educational opportunities. Proposed solutions include vouchers, education savings accounts, or refundable education tax credits.

• Short-term benefit: Parents disappointed by their public schools can choose private or homeschool education without having to pay extra.

• Long-term benefit: New and expanded private school opportunities, improved homeschool resources, public schools incentivized toward excellence and efficiency, better teacher opportunities and competitive pay.

“Gold Standard” proposal for school choice:

1. Sufficient. The program should provide enough money to support the cost of private education.

2. Universal. School choice should be available to all eligible students, not just a select few.

3. Deregulated. The state should not impose its value systems, licensing, or testing requirements on private-school teachers, institutions, and parents.