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In a general sense, school choice is a term used in regard to various alternatives to the American public school system, in which student enrollment is traditionally based on location of residency. School choice offers alternatives to the public school system and empowers families in the decision making process in determining where the student will receive his or her education and in what form that education will be performed. It generally hinges on the diverting of funds or may come in the form of subsidies or vouchers. The wide array of educational alternatives includes scholarship tax credit initiatives, which allows companies and individuals certain state tax credits in exchange for donations made to non-profit organizations that grant private school scholarships. School choice also includes state-provided school vouchers, open enrollment to public schools outside of home districts, charter schools, magnet schools, cyber schools, homeschooling, educational savings accounts, and individual tax credits or deductions allowed to pay for educational expenses.

The Pennsylvania school code, section 1327, describes school choice as follows: “It is the policy of the Commonwealth to preserve the primary right and obligation of the parent or parents, or person or persons in loco parentis to a child, to choose the education and training for such child.”

Origins
The origins of school choice can be traced to a 1955 proposal by the prominent economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman who suggested that America’s public school system could be improved through free market principles. Friedman proposed giving parents the opportunity to use state and local funds, otherwise designated for local school districts, in the form of vouchers to attend other private or public institutions.

Educational Tax Credit
Pennsylvania became the first state to pass an education tax credit targeted at corporations. This landmark legislation came on May 7, 2001 and was passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support. Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit, known as EITC, allows companies a 75 percent tax credit for donations made to non-profit scholarships or educational improvement organizations. If the company makes the same donation over a two-year commitment, the tax credit increases to 90 percent. The tax credits are capped at $750,000 annually or $200,000 for pre-k donations.

Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credits
The Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program or OSTC provides tax credits to eligible businesses that contribute to an Opportunity Scholarship Organization. These funds are used to provide scholarships to eligible elementary or secondary school students enrolled in “low-achieving” schools. These funds may be used to pay tuition to another public or private school. Low achieving schools are defined as being ranked among the bottom 15 percent based on combined math and reading scores from the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment or PSSA.

School Vouchers
The traditional form of vouchers are state-funded scholarships. These scholarships are used to pay for attendance at private schools. In the voucher system, private schools are required to meet certain standards that are established through state legislatures. Student eligibility is also established by state legislatures. Vouchers typically target specific subgroups that may benefit from alternate education outside of the public school system. These parameters include low-income groups, students within low performing schools, students with disabilities, students of military families, and students within foster care. The voucher system in America can be traced back some 140 years. Rural students without nearby public schools have benefited from such programs for many years. However, the modern push for voucher systems came in 1955 when economist Milton Friedman wrote a paper called “The Role of Government in Education” concerning the subject. It was Friedman’s belief that vouchers would increase competition and improve overall education and decrease educational costs

Charter Schools
Charter schools are consumer-driven independent public school institutions that offer tuition-free education. They provide a broad range of educational choices for students and families. Their operational authority is either granted by a school district or by the state department of education. Charter schools are often the product of entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders, and parents. Generally, charter schools work with greater latitude than traditional public school counterparts. Instead of regulations handed down by the state, charter schools are bound to operate under the terms of their own individual charters, which define the institutional missions, goals, and procedures. The first American charter school was founded in Minnesota in 1992. Since then, charter schools have been created throughout the country with a wide variety of legislation determining such education, greatly differing from state-to-state. Pennsylvania enacted Act 22 in 1997 during Governor Ridge’s administration. This bipartisan legislation authorized the establishment of charter schools within the Commonwealth. Charter schools often provide unique curriculum and often emphasize particular fields of study. Some might focus on the creative arts, while others may specialize in technology based instruction. Charter schools are also known to focus on special student needs that include special education students, gifted students, at-risk students, and those interested in learning a particular trade. There are currently 135 charter schools operating in Pennsylvania. Over 50,000 students are enrolled in these schools

Cyber Charter Schools
Cyber charter schools are nonprofit public schools, which use technology to deliver the majority of educational instruction to participating students. This instruction is delivered via the internet or through other electronic means. Cyber charter schools receive their operational charters through the Department of Education. Cyber charter schools are publically funded and are free to any student who wants to attend just like “brick and mortar” charter schools. The students’ supplies, including laptop computer and internet are often included. Last year, 32,958 students were enrolled in cyber charter schools throughout Pennsylvania. That number signifies about 2 per cent of PA’s overall public school enrollment. Advocates for cyber charters like the routine contact with instructors and the increased instruction time that online education offers.

Homeschooling
Home Schooling is one of the fastest growing forms of school choice. The upswing began as a grassroots movement in the 1970s. The form of homeschooling varies greatly from child directed learning to classical educational approaches that stress a focus on the liberal arts.

Educational Savings Accounts
This school choice program is current proposed legislation by Pennsylvania State Senator John DiSanto, a Republican from Dauphin County. This legislation would allow families of children attending public schools which are performing in the bottom 15 per cent to state-funded education savings accounts, known as ESAs. These savings accounts could be used to pay educational expenses, like private or charter school tuition, higher education tuition, textbooks, and other approved expenditures. DiSanto explained that under-performing public schools are not adequately preparing students for advanced education or the job market. He further explained that low-income families currently face limited educational opportunities and there are currently waiting lists for charter schools and tax credit scholarship programs. The ESA program would then expand options for families in the form of a flexible education that could be customized to fit the needs of each student.

Inter-district Choice
Interdistrict choice programs allows students to enroll in schools outside of their own school district. This school choice option is often called open enrollment. This phenomenon has increased since the 1980s through various state laws. By 2003, almost a quarter of the states allowed this form of school choice. Over one-third of the states permit such participation, but do not mandate it. Pennsylvania is one of those states. Many states have followed Minnesota, which instituted an early interdistrict program back in the 1980s. Some have used such programs to desegregate metropolitan schools. The idea was revived in 2001 with the federal No Child Left Behind Act which focused on giving families more educational opportunities. In areas with low performing schools, some districts have been forced to look outside of their regions to offer school choice. In Pennsylvania’s Chester Upland School District, officials have been forced to look to surrounding Delaware County schools, since there are no other eligible schools within the district. However, such instances are problematic, because outlying schools are not always eager to accept students from low performing school districts. Although open enrollment in not mandated in Pennsylvania, the state’s Department of Education encourages school districts to work together on the matter.

Magnet Schools
The Magnet school concept originated in the 1960's, during the movement to desegregate schools and improve educational opportunities and educational access for all students. Magnet schools are innovative institutions that are open to students regardless of residency within any particular school district. Due to high enrollment demands, magnet schools often operate on a lottery system. These are schools, which offer specialized curriculum that may focus on Science, technology, engineering, and Math (STEM), fine and performing arts, international baccalaureate and International studies, career and technical training, and world language studies. Magnet schools are tuition free institutions. Magnet schools operate in a similar fashion to charter schools. However, unlike charter schools, which operate under the terms of their own charters, magnet schools must comply with and are accountable to state standards and regulations

Recent Legislative Reform Measures
Education Savings Account (ESA) has become the newest proposed form of school choice in Pennsylvania. It was initially met with resistance. This proposed legislation has created a great divide in advocates verses opponents and has created a hot-button political issue. It would open the door for families to use their monies received to purchase supplies, tutoring, and other approved education expenses. ESA funds could be carried over from year to year and could even be used eventually to help pay for college education beyond high school graduation. A vote on this new legislation was postponed by the PA Senate Education Committee in December 2017. It also failed to get out of committee in October with a 6-6 deadlock vote. The legislation has the support of the Commonwealth Foundation. This organization is a Pennsylvania-based think tank that has advocated for school choice issues in the past. Commonwealth Foundation CEO Charles Mitchell recently explained that failing schools throughout the state have “blocked students from realizing their potential” and sees the establishment of ESAs as a way to open up access to high-quality education for those students. Charles Mitchell was quoted as saying, “Despite many students already benefiting from charter schools, tax credit scholarships, and homeschooling, tens of thousands remain stuck on waiting lists,” Mitchell said. “When it comes to educational opportunity, no child should be waitlisted. ESAs put students first.”

Support
Supporters of school choice in Pennsylvania cite the fact that educational choice gives parents greater flexibility to choose the right educational environment for their children regardless of the location of their home school districts. This alternative education comes at lower costs than traditional public schooling. Pennsylvania has been describes as being the “envy of choice advocates across the country” for its pioneer legislation that has given the Commonwealth’s families such flexibility.

Opposition
School choice has received vehement opposition since its inception and during its considerable recent growth. Opponents claim that school choice options take money away from public school systems, many of which are located within financially stressed and academically failing areas. Critics, such as PA State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, have called for an overhaul of legislation to bring greater financial and educational oversight.

Public School Response
Faced with tight educational budgets and declining enrollments, some public school systems in the Commonwealth have made innovative curriculum changes to keep pace with school choice options. Keystone School District implemented a greater focus on digital technologies to be competitive. This district not only revised traditional courses, but also instituted on-line courses in advanced placement and dual enrollment classes, in addition to a hybrid curriculum and an aggressive outreach campaign to boost enrollment. The Quakertown Community School District not only implemented an online learning program, but also a performing arts program that includes theater and a dance studio that has drastically reduced its annual tuition reimbursement rates.