Ben DeGrow is a Senior Policy Director of Education Choice for ExcelinEd.
State policymakers across America deserve major accolades for listening to families and responding with expanded ways for parents to design and access a K-12 learning environment that works best for their children.
Before we get started, if you’re not familiar with private school choice, the program types tend to break down into three main categories:
Vouchers: Voucher programs allow families to use some or all of the K-12 funding set aside for their student to pay tuition at a private school.
Tax-Credit Scholarships: Tax-credit scholarship programs offer full or partial tax credits to individuals or corporations who donate to nonprofit scholarship funds. Families can apply for scholarships through the scholarship-granting organization in their state and use the funds to pay private school tuition.
Education Savings Accounts: The most flexible form of school choice, education scholarship accounts, or ESAs, are state-supervised spending accounts containing a child’s education funds that can be used to pay for a variety of educational services. With an ESA, parents direct their child’s education funding to the state-approved schools, courses, programs and services of their choice.
In many states, it’s a heavy lift to get these programs passed, but as anyone working in this space will tell you: That’s only the beginning.
After a private school choice program is enacted into law, state officials must begin the sometimes-years-long process of implementation.
The word “implementation” is used all the time when it comes to new private school choice programs, especially as more and more states embrace education scholarship accounts. These are the parent-directed funds that can be used for academic services and support in addition to private school tuition.
But as sometimes happens in the world of think tanks and policy nerds, we lean into terminologies and strategies without really explaining what they mean. We also use single words to describe a whole host of actions that bring a policy to fruition.
So, let’s sort private school choice implementation work into 10 “buckets” of activity and explain at a high level what goes into each one.
If you live in a state that’s looking to set up or advocate for an education savings account program, we have published an in-depth handbook to support implementation. ExcelinEd’s education choice experts are here to answer your questions or connect you with additional resources.
Perhaps the most arduous, behind-the-scenes work that goes into any new private school choice program is what happens after a program makes it through the legislature. This work entails enacting the rules and regulations that actually bring that program to life. In all states, that process is handled by an executive branch office, such as the state’s Department of Education, the Governor’s Office or the State Treasurer.
To support smooth and timely implementation, here are some key considerations for when rules and regulations are being drafted:
While traditional voucher programs and tax-credit scholarships can largely be handled within government agencies or nonprofit scholarship granting organizations, ESA programs almost always require a third-party vendor to help set up the systems and provide technical support to facilitate transactions.
States typically run an RFP process to gather information from potential vendors. At ExcelinEd, we are agnostic about which vendor(s) might be the best fit in a particular state. However, we do offer advice to states as they put their RFPs together as part of their broader implementation process.
Here’s the most important thing to keep front and center: Vendors must serve families within the program , not the other way around. Platform providers certainly have the important goal of reducing or even eliminating misspending. Yet that goal must be balanced against the desires of parents, whose options should not be limited by overzealously implemented procedures.
The teamwork required for private school choice legislation to become law can be a huge lift. That collaborative work carries through to implementation—often with a greater need to get more groups involved.
States looking to build coalition capacity as they spread the word about a new program should consider looking outside of traditional education-focused organizations with two questions in mind: Who knows parents? Whom do parents trust?
Just because a state sets up a department or office to run a school choice program, it may not have the capacity or funding to do outreach at the level needed to get a new program off the ground and meet its true potential. That’s why coalition work is so important.
State-based research has shown that most parents hear about school choice programs via word of mouth from other parents or from friends and family in their personal networks. They also find out about these opportunities in settings they already trust, such as schools and places of worship.
As states build an implementation coalition, it’s worth bearing in mind that the coalition may include some unlikely allies. Coalition members often have different reasons for wanting to spread the word about a new private school choice program. Yet if everyone stays aligned on the goal, the new program will be better positioned for success.
Soon after a private school choice program is put into place to support the unique K-12 learning needs of students and families, officials need to figure out which schools and vendors will be part of the program.
By definition, private school vouchers can only be used to pay tuition at private schools. ESAs are more flexible and can be used for tuition, transportation and other academic and support services.
As a private school choice program is starting up, a landscape analysis can assess the existing number of private schools in a state that would qualify to participate in the program. It’s also worth knowing whether those schools can serve, or maybe even specialize in serving, students with diverse learning needs.
A thorough landscape analysis will look beyond traditional tuition-based schools. It will also account for large online service providers as well as tutoring companies that have the capacity to serve many students, plus “boutique” providers and self-employed consultants. Having a broad variety of providers on a state’s approved list gives parents more flexibility and helps to grow the program. For example, if a family has been employing a local teacher to tutor their child, that family should be able to request that teacher become a qualified service provider eligible to earn ESA funds.
Having a robust and inclusive list of providers for a private school choice program is key to the program’s success, giving families many options either to pursue private schooling or to design their own learning journey.
Often dictated by the law itself, the entity (or entities) that will administer the program is just as important as how those entities are set up to respond to families before, during and after the application process.
For example, will there be one organization in charge of parent engagement, or will many different organizations pitch in and help out? If it’s the latter, then everyone who is on call to support parents needs to have the same information.
Staffing up for implementation raises questions about redundancy and sustainability. As programs become more and more popular, it may not be realistic to have only one or two people responding to inquiries. Instead, it might make sense to contract with a call center or have an online, AI-backed interface for parents to use when they have questions.
States like Florida, which have had private school choice programs in place for decades, have both call and online options available to the public.
If you build it, will they come? Before the pandemic, that was the big question facing states as they brought new private school choice programs online. While the past three years have seen record growth in school choice, states still must work with their coalitions, providers and partners to spread the word about new opportunities.
The easiest way for parents to learn about a new program is from a private school in which their child already is enrolled or in which they would like to be enrolled. School fairs, emails, flyers, social media outreach and other grassroots tactics can be extremely effective spreading the word about new programs. We’ll get into those below.
Another way to spread the word is utilizing the coalition that backed the legislative push to enact the program in the first place. Members of the coalition often have their own lists of families they can contact to let them know about new school choice options. Even if those parents aren’t interested in applying, they can help spread the word to their own networks.
Finally, the agency or partners working to implement the program can train parent ambassadors as part of their staffing and marketing plans. These ambassadors can serve both as “boots on the ground” communicators at events and can help schools and providers hone their outreach strategies to parents.
Another way states can plan ahead for parent engagement is by including funding for parent navigators as part of the program or by allowing navigation services as an optional ESA expense. Parent navigators can be a valued resource in helping families choose the most effective curricula, academic programming or support services for their child.
School choice advocates often use polling data during the legislative process to show demand for K-12 options. Yet there’s also a strong need for polling research during the implementation process.
States and partners should consider research in the following areas to help guide implementation and measure the success of the program once it is operational:
A survey of available private school seats likely will have been done during the legislative process to show there’s supply available to meet demand if a proposed program is passed. If that’s not the case, it’s a good idea to take stock during the implementation process of the number of available seats. You might be surprised how many options there are, but you also might realize there’s a supply-side gap that needs to be addressed as the program grows.
As implementation begins, it’s important to benchmark parents’ awareness of the program so growth in awareness can be tracked over time. Even if the program has received a lot of media attention, don’t be surprised if many families have never heard of it. Before starting any marketing efforts, knowing that awareness level can help you track what’s working as you take steps to spread the word.
Despite media coverage about the naysayers, most people—and parents in particular—support school choice. That’s true across the K-12 landscape, not just with respect to private school choice programs. Embracing and sharing the narrative that families want and deserve options is important.
Media coverage often reports only on academic outcomes of school choice programs. Fortunately, there are hundreds of high-quality private school choice studies that look beyond that metric. Those studies also look at parent satisfaction, civic values and practices, racial/ethnic integration, fiscal effects and school safety. Tracking the multitude of outcomes from school choice programs showcases a commitment to transparency and helps keep policymakers informed of progress.
We categorize outreach work into two distinct strategies, one powered by individual conversations and the other by mass communication. Both are critical to the work.
Public outreach backed by paid or volunteer staff can take place at any number of events in local communities where school choice programs are available. The goal for outreach staff in attending these events is not to generate large-scale program signups. Rather, it’s to have individual conversations with parents who are interested in learning more, helping also to build trust and confidence in using the programs.
Those conversations can take place in widely diverse settings—at county and state fairs, local festivals, sporting events, churches or anywhere people are gathering where they might be even remotely interested in talking about K-12 education.
Without a doubt, selecting a school for a child is a deeply personal decision that families take very seriously. That’s why these in-person interactions must be authentic and, at times, can run deep. Positive in-person connections also can inspire parents and community members to become “net promoters” of a specific program or even school choice generally, leading them to have similar conversations within their personal networks. That’s grassroots outreach at its best.
If state officials or coalition partners have the budget, they can raise awareness of a new program and/or promote an existing one with paid media and advertising. This includes both traditional outlets (television, radio, newspapers) and digital platforms (social media, display ads, podcasts).
It’s also possible to get earned media—traditional news stories and contributed op-eds—about school choice programs. Keep in mind that policymakers and advocates don’t have control over news coverage and editorial decisions. Additionally, some media outlets may choose to balance positive coverage of a program with criticism from school choice opponents.
If pursuing paid media as a strategy, it’s a good idea to work with a communications professional who can help set campaign goals and metrics. In the world of paid media, statewide campaigns and even some local campaigns can become very expensive very quickly. Fortunately, it’s possible to reach very targeted audiences with a lower investment if there’s a well-informed plan in place.
It might seem strange to say that “defending” a school choice program is part of implementing one. Unfortunately, these programs are often challenging to enact because they upend longstanding systems and buck the powers-that-be. Advocates know that defenders of the status quo rarely back down. Many new programs in school choice face immediate legal challenges, which often are unsuccessful but nonetheless slow down implementation.
The first step toward defending the program is keeping your coalition and legislative champions informed of successes. How many students are using the program? What does the public opinion polling say? Sharing those details in a timely way empowers advocates to continue speaking to the program’s value.
Beyond the numbers, there is no substitute for personal stories of families and students who are using school choice to access learning opportunities they need to succeed. Consider using video to capture and share these impactful narratives.
If a program winds up in litigation, there are national groups that can offer advice and support specifically for defending a private school choice program.
In conclusion, we want to emphasize two principles that should always guide this work in school choice, no matter which type of program is involved:
In rolling out anything new, there are bound to be glitches and stumbles. Plan for those and also learn from other states’ best practices—but remember that sometimes setbacks just happen. Families, schools and providers will be more patient if they know leaders are keeping lines of communication open and that everyone involved is committed to continuous improvement.
