TXLegeHub logo TXLegeHub logo
— a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation —

Parental Choice

Compared to the majority of states, Texas is behind in educational opportunity. Twenty-nine state legislatures and Congress (for the District of Columbia) have established some form of private school choice. Texas has none. Every Texas child should be afforded the opportunity to select the educational options which best suit his or her individual needs.

Recommendations

  • Promote educational excellence in Texas by adopting ESAs for all Texas students, and establish a variety of educational choice alternatives.
  • Empower students with special needs with educational choice options.

Talking points for liberty fighters

  • A universal (meaning available to all Texas students) ESA program starting in 2017 could have led to an additional 11,809 students graduating from high school instead of dropping out by 2022.
  • Those 11,809 additional high school graduates could have resulted in five billion dollars’ worth of economic benefits to ESA participants and society as a whole. Those societal benefits include higher tax revenues, lower welfare costs, and less criminal activity.
  • Public schools will improve significantly with the implementation of universal choice.
  • Universal choice will drive up teacher pay as schools divert more funds to classrooms—where they have the greatest effect on students.

The Latest

Research