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PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
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  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
Menu
  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
Menu
  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

Florida

U.S.
Rank

#1
Overall PPI Score:
94.6%
PPI Grade Key:
← Back to Florida state overview
A
B
C
D
F
  • Opportunity
  • Innovation
  • Policy Environment

Charter Schools

Score:

92%

Grade:

A

Rank:

#2

The choice-friendly Sunshine state joins the list of exemplars allowing universities to authorize charter schools now, augmenting the districts which are not always those most hospitable sponsors. With this change, as well as increased opportunities for great schools to grow, Florida expands its pro-growth attitude. It’s no surprise that student achievement, like the sun, is continuously rising.

Florida made modest process changes in 2021, lessening the roadblocks to founding and creating new charters.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1996

Most recently amended: 2021

Number of charter schools: 676

Number of charter students: 361,939

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No

Virtual charters allowed? Yes

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local districts are the main authorizers, although as of 2019, state universities can authorize lab schools and community college boards of trustees can authorize charter technical career centers. Denied applicants appeal to the state board of education.  Thanks to a new law enacted in 2021, Florida now allows independent multiple authorizers to sponsor charter schools. As CER’s research demonstrates, state universities most often make the best authorizers. All public universities are permitted to authorize charter schools for the purpose of meeting workforce demands and industry needs. State universities can authorize a charter school to meet workforce demands by serving students from multiple school districts as long as they’re under the university’s service area.

GROWTH: With no cap the state’s charters were only limited to the number of schools that school districts or state appeals might allow. With new university authorizers and an expanded fast track process for growth of high-performing schools in June 2021, the state is on a rapid ascent to being able to fill more opportunities for students. A high performing school is one that has been graded an A for the two most recent years, with no grade lower than a C in the previous three. Enrollment has increased more than 50,700 students and 33 schools since 2018.

OPERATIONS: Schools are exempt from most regulations that apply to traditional public schools, although authorizers may impose additional requirements. However, the June 2021 law makes university authorizers their own local education agencies for purposes of receiving federal funds, and the impact of that is that there tends to be more autonomy in exchange for accountability granted when the district is not the regulator so it’s good news for Florida charters. Schools of Hope may also be designated as a local education agency by the state education department.

EQUITY: Funding follows the same formula as all other public schools minus administrative fees retained by the school board or customary university authorizer fees. “The basis for funding is… the total operating funds for the school district in which the school is located … including gross state and local funds, discretionary lottery funds, and funds from each school district’s current operating discretionary millage levy; divided by total funded weighted FTE students in the school district; and multiplied by the FTE membership of the charter school.” Capital outlay funding continues to support charters, including for university or Florida College System-sponsored charter schools. That fund now provides $169.6  million to charter schools. 

Learn More:

Florida Charter School Law

Florida Charter Schools Alliance

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score:

98%

Grade:

A

Rank:

#1

The state is now home to the single largest education opportunity program in the country.  In May 2021 the Family Empowerment Program was expanded and now permits a majority of students in the state to access the public or private school of their choice! The bill authorizing the program also folds Florida’s two existing educational choice programs serving students with special needs into the Family Empowerment Scholarship program. The new legislation also increases individual scholarship amounts to 100 percent of the state’s per pupil funding – estimated to be between $6,000-$7,000 – and eliminates barriers to educational access by no longer requiring students to attend a public school prior to applying for a scholarship.

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 1999-2019

Number of programs: 4

Statewide Participation: 160,755

Types of programs: Education Savings Account, Tax Credit Scholarship, Voucher

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Voucher & ESA
Family Empowerment Program
Florida’s Family Empowerment Program was created to alleviate the waitlist of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program in 2019 and further expanded in 2020 and 2021.  Under the new legislation signed into law in May 2021, the Family Empowerment income limit will increase from 300 percent to 375 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $100,000 for a family of four) opening up the ability for more middle-income families to use their public funds for the education of their choice, with increases available year after year. Additionally, students are no longer required to have attended a public school the prior year to be eligible. Priority is given to siblings, to students from military families and whose household income level does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level and students in foster care or out-of-home care.

The legislation did fold in the Gardiner and McKay scholarships into the scholarship – and under the new language will serve more students than prior years.

Tax-Credit Scholarship
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship income eligibility limit also increased, from 260 percent to 375 percent of the federal poverty level, with priority given to students whose family incomes are up to 185 percent of the poverty line, and students from the least advantaged circumstances. Originally enacted in 2001 and serves students from low-income households, the program gains its funding as a result of corporate income and insurance premium credits for donations to non-profit scholarship organizations that create the scholarship for students to attend the school of their choice, which can be up to the per-pupil amount of funds spent in the state on public schools. Eligible expenses include tuition and fees for an eligible private school or transportation to a Florida public school that is located outside the district in which the student resides.

The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is the largest of its kind in terms of student participation and budget. The total tax credit cap amount for the 2020-2021 school year was $873,565,674 with 104,162 participating students. The May 2021 law creates additional revenue for the program. 

Tax Credit Scholarship
Hope Scholarship Program
Hope Scholarships may be used by students who are victims of bullying or are physically attacked in school. This program allows purchasers of motor vehicles to contribute their vehicle sales tax to fund private school scholarships. These students may also transfer to other public school districts.

Voucher
John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program
Florida’s John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program was enacted in 1999, making it the nation’s first school voucher program for students with special needs. The Florida legislature expanded the program in 2000. Vouchers are worth up to the same amount public schools would have spent on a participating child. Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, the McKay Scholarship Program will be rolled into the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.

Learn More:

EdChoice Analysis on Florida

Federation for Children Choice Program Information

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

82%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#3

Uses best practices to collect data and evaluate teacher prep programs, which the state further puts to use in ensuring that teachers have content knowledge to teach.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 79%
General Teacher Preparation 98%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 83%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 90%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 65%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 81%
Hiring 85%
Retaining Effective Teachers 77%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 85%

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 83%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Charter Schools

Score:

92%

Grade:

A

Rank:

#2

The choice-friendly Sunshine state joins the list of exemplars allowing universities to authorize charter schools now, augmenting the districts which are not always those most hospitable sponsors. With this change, as well as increased opportunities for great schools to grow, Florida expands its pro-growth attitude. It’s no surprise that student achievement, like the sun, is continuously rising.

Florida made modest process changes in 2021, lessening the roadblocks to founding and creating new charters.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1996

Most recently amended: 2021

Number of charter schools: 676

Number of charter students: 361,939

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No

Virtual charters allowed? Yes

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local districts are the main authorizers, although as of 2019, state universities can authorize lab schools and community college boards of trustees can authorize charter technical career centers. Denied applicants appeal to the state board of education.  Thanks to a new law enacted in 2021, Florida now allows independent multiple authorizers to sponsor charter schools. As CER’s research demonstrates, state universities most often make the best authorizers. All public universities are permitted to authorize charter schools for the purpose of meeting workforce demands and industry needs. State universities can authorize a charter school to meet workforce demands by serving students from multiple school districts as long as they’re under the university’s service area.

GROWTH: With no cap the state’s charters were only limited to the number of schools that school districts or state appeals might allow. With new university authorizers and an expanded fast track process for growth of high-performing schools in June 2021, the state is on a rapid ascent to being able to fill more opportunities for students. A high performing school is one that has been graded an A for the two most recent years, with no grade lower than a C in the previous three. Enrollment has increased more than 50,700 students and 33 schools since 2018.

OPERATIONS: Schools are exempt from most regulations that apply to traditional public schools, although authorizers may impose additional requirements. However, the June 2021 law makes university authorizers their own local education agencies for purposes of receiving federal funds, and the impact of that is that there tends to be more autonomy in exchange for accountability granted when the district is not the regulator so it’s good news for Florida charters. Schools of Hope may also be designated as a local education agency by the state education department.

EQUITY: Funding follows the same formula as all other public schools minus administrative fees retained by the school board or customary university authorizer fees. “The basis for funding is… the total operating funds for the school district in which the school is located … including gross state and local funds, discretionary lottery funds, and funds from each school district’s current operating discretionary millage levy; divided by total funded weighted FTE students in the school district; and multiplied by the FTE membership of the charter school.” Capital outlay funding continues to support charters, including for university or Florida College System-sponsored charter schools. That fund now provides $169.6  million to charter schools. 

Learn More:

Florida Charter School Law

Florida Charter Schools Alliance

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score:

98%

Grade:

A

Rank:

#1

The state is now home to the single largest education opportunity program in the country.  In May 2021 the Family Empowerment Program was expanded and now permits a majority of students in the state to access the public or private school of their choice! The bill authorizing the program also folds Florida’s two existing educational choice programs serving students with special needs into the Family Empowerment Scholarship program. The new legislation also increases individual scholarship amounts to 100 percent of the state’s per pupil funding – estimated to be between $6,000-$7,000 – and eliminates barriers to educational access by no longer requiring students to attend a public school prior to applying for a scholarship.

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 1999-2019

Number of programs: 4

Statewide Participation: 160,755

Types of programs: Education Savings Account, Tax Credit Scholarship, Voucher

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Voucher & ESA
Family Empowerment Program
Florida’s Family Empowerment Program was created to alleviate the waitlist of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program in 2019 and further expanded in 2020 and 2021.  Under the new legislation signed into law in May 2021, the Family Empowerment income limit will increase from 300 percent to 375 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $100,000 for a family of four) opening up the ability for more middle-income families to use their public funds for the education of their choice, with increases available year after year. Additionally, students are no longer required to have attended a public school the prior year to be eligible. Priority is given to siblings, to students from military families and whose household income level does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level and students in foster care or out-of-home care.

The legislation did fold in the Gardiner and McKay scholarships into the scholarship – and under the new language will serve more students than prior years.

Tax-Credit Scholarship
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship income eligibility limit also increased, from 260 percent to 375 percent of the federal poverty level, with priority given to students whose family incomes are up to 185 percent of the poverty line, and students from the least advantaged circumstances. Originally enacted in 2001 and serves students from low-income households, the program gains its funding as a result of corporate income and insurance premium credits for donations to non-profit scholarship organizations that create the scholarship for students to attend the school of their choice, which can be up to the per-pupil amount of funds spent in the state on public schools. Eligible expenses include tuition and fees for an eligible private school or transportation to a Florida public school that is located outside the district in which the student resides.

The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program is the largest of its kind in terms of student participation and budget. The total tax credit cap amount for the 2020-2021 school year was $873,565,674 with 104,162 participating students. The May 2021 law creates additional revenue for the program. 

Tax Credit Scholarship
Hope Scholarship Program
Hope Scholarships may be used by students who are victims of bullying or are physically attacked in school. This program allows purchasers of motor vehicles to contribute their vehicle sales tax to fund private school scholarships. These students may also transfer to other public school districts.

Voucher
John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program
Florida’s John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program was enacted in 1999, making it the nation’s first school voucher program for students with special needs. The Florida legislature expanded the program in 2000. Vouchers are worth up to the same amount public schools would have spent on a participating child. Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, the McKay Scholarship Program will be rolled into the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.

Learn More:

EdChoice Analysis on Florida

Federation for Children Choice Program Information

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

82%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#3

Uses best practices to collect data and evaluate teacher prep programs, which the state further puts to use in ensuring that teachers have content knowledge to teach.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 79%
General Teacher Preparation 98%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 83%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 90%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 65%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 81%
Hiring 85%
Retaining Effective Teachers 77%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 85%

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 83%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Digital & Personalized Learning

Digital Learning:

Score:

92%

Grade:

A

Rank:

#1

The Florida Department of Education does not require specific digital learning standards or models, but does provide resources for technology integration in schools such as technology toolkits, webinars, professional development, and digital learning and teaching best practices.

Florida has a Digital Classroom Program. In 2014, The Florida Department of Education was required to create the Digital Classroom 5-Year Strategic Plan to help districts implement digital classrooms. The plan was in effect from 2014-2019. 

Florida Virtual School is one of the nation’s largest statewide virtual schools and since their opening in 1997, there have been 4.6 million semesters completed. FLVS is fully accredited, granting diplomas to full-time students, but also offers part time enrollment for supplemental courses. Before the pandemic, there were over 200,000 students enrolled. In 2019, there were 762 full-time graduates. 

Florida’s Seminole County Public Schools and The School Board of Broward County, Florida are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing digital learning opportunities to more than 330,000 students. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation. 

Bandwidth: “98.3% of students in Florida can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 42,508 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”

Personalized Learning:

The Sunshine State has many opportunities for personalized learning, but there is still no statewide effort behind the movement. 

The District Innovation School of Technology Program enables participating schools to implement blended learning models, which the legislation states “must include major components such as differentiated instruction, data-driven placement, flexible scheduling, differentiated teaching, and self-paced learning.” Schools have the freedom to choose between three blended learning models: flipped classroom model, flex model, and rotation model. 

The Principal Autonomy Program Initiative is legislation that gives principals more authority to implement their own vision on how their schools can improve. This program gives school leaders the opportunity to make decisions based on what works best for their individual students, and they have more authority over areas such as curriculum, instructional models, budget, and staffing. 

Florida’s Competency-Based Education Pilot Program is a five-year program in five districts that will expire at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Lawmakers were considering expanding the pilot program to all districts. Under the proposed law, the pilot would be renamed Mastery-Based Education Program, and would allow schools to use an alternative grading scale. Unfortunately, it passed in the house but did not make it out of the committee in the Senate.

Learn More:

Digital Classroom Program

Florida Virtual School

League of Innovative Schools

District Innovation School of Technology Program

Principal Autonomy Program Initiative

Competency-Based Education Pilot Program

COVID-19 Response

Florida was among the leaders in state responses for education to the COVID-19 crisis, actively demanding that all students continue to learn. That is owing in part to the existence of a statewide program, the Florida Virtual School, which has long been a provider of quality online education in the state and to the existence of numerous school leaders who are accustomed to challenges and choices. The state also created a site with best practices for online learning.

Florida’s Department of Education highlighted some of the best district efforts to respond to the pandemic, offering a model for other districts to follow.

Florida distributed devices to students who needed them in order to allow for distance learning to start successfully on March 30th.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

41%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

23%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat'l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

39%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

29%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat'l average)

Graduation Rate:

87%

Average SAT Score:

983/1600

Average ACT Score:

19/36

Public School Enrollment:

2,833,186

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

11.5%

Average Student Funding:

$9,937.00
Digital & Personalized Learning
Digital Learning:

Score:

92%

Grade:

A

Rank:

#1

The Florida Department of Education does not require specific digital learning standards or models, but does provide resources for technology integration in schools such as technology toolkits, webinars, professional development, and digital learning and teaching best practices.

Florida has a Digital Classroom Program. In 2014, The Florida Department of Education was required to create the Digital Classroom 5-Year Strategic Plan to help districts implement digital classrooms. The plan was in effect from 2014-2019. 

Florida Virtual School is one of the nation’s largest statewide virtual schools and since their opening in 1997, there have been 4.6 million semesters completed. FLVS is fully accredited, granting diplomas to full-time students, but also offers part time enrollment for supplemental courses. Before the pandemic, there were over 200,000 students enrolled. In 2019, there were 762 full-time graduates. 

Florida’s Seminole County Public Schools and The School Board of Broward County, Florida are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, providing digital learning opportunities to more than 330,000 students. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation. 

Bandwidth: “98.3% of students in Florida can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. But there is still work to be done. 42,508 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”

Personalized Learning:

The Sunshine State has many opportunities for personalized learning, but there is still no statewide effort behind the movement. 

The District Innovation School of Technology Program enables participating schools to implement blended learning models, which the legislation states “must include major components such as differentiated instruction, data-driven placement, flexible scheduling, differentiated teaching, and self-paced learning.” Schools have the freedom to choose between three blended learning models: flipped classroom model, flex model, and rotation model. 

The Principal Autonomy Program Initiative is legislation that gives principals more authority to implement their own vision on how their schools can improve. This program gives school leaders the opportunity to make decisions based on what works best for their individual students, and they have more authority over areas such as curriculum, instructional models, budget, and staffing. 

Florida’s Competency-Based Education Pilot Program is a five-year program in five districts that will expire at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Lawmakers were considering expanding the pilot program to all districts. Under the proposed law, the pilot would be renamed Mastery-Based Education Program, and would allow schools to use an alternative grading scale. Unfortunately, it passed in the house but did not make it out of the committee in the Senate.

Learn More:

Digital Classroom Program

Florida Virtual School

League of Innovative Schools

District Innovation School of Technology Program

Principal Autonomy Program Initiative

Competency-Based Education Pilot Program

COVID-19 Response

Florida was among the leaders in state responses for education to the COVID-19 crisis, actively demanding that all students continue to learn. That is owing in part to the existence of a statewide program, the Florida Virtual School, which has long been a provider of quality online education in the state and to the existence of numerous school leaders who are accustomed to challenges and choices. The state also created a site with best practices for online learning.

Florida’s Department of Education highlighted some of the best district efforts to respond to the pandemic, offering a model for other districts to follow.

Florida distributed devices to students who needed them in order to allow for distance learning to start successfully on March 30th.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

41%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

23%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat’l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

39%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

29%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat’l average)

Graduation Rate:

87%

Average SAT Score:

983/1600

Average ACT Score:

19/36

Public School Enrollment:

2,833,186

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

11.5%

Average Student Funding:

$9,937.00

Leadership

Your governor:

Ron DeSantis (R)

First term began in 2019 (two-term limit)

Reelected Governor Ron DeSantis made education his cause celebre again this year, which caused his win by a huge margin in diverse communities that don’t normally go for a Republican. Both statewide and nationally DeSantis is known for his commitment to education freedom and innovation. Florida owes its national Parent Power lead to DeSantis’ relentless efforts for families in the Sunshine state.   Can’t wait to see what happens in the Sunshine state over the next four years.

State Legislature:

Both chambers are a majority pro-parent power and typically embrace policies that improve education options for Florida’s students. The 2021 choice expansion law passed the full House 79 to 36 and passed the Senate 25 to 14. In addition, the body’s vocal efforts encouraged public schools to safely reopen for millions of kids months before other states did and overtime have fostered innovations in teaching, learning, digital and higher education.

Constitutional Issues

Florida’s Blaine Amendment has been interpreted as prohibitive of using public funds for private schools and has been used twice to strike down an Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Florida School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School and district report cards are easy to access from Florida’s DOE homepage under the Accountability subheading. School report cards contain one summative grade at the top, making it clear to parents. Reports are useful and complete, including data on performance, attendance, graduation, per-pupil expenditure, and more. Users can search by zip code to compare nearest schools, which is a great added feature for parents.

Educational options are also extremely easy to locate under the Feature Topics subheading by clicking School Choice, where you can access information on K-12 scholarship programs and charter schools.

School board elections are during the general election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.

Leadership
Your governor:

Ron DeSantis (R)

First term began in 2019 (two-term limit)

Reelected Governor Ron DeSantis made education his cause celebre again this year, which caused his win by a huge margin in diverse communities that don’t normally go for a Republican. Both statewide and nationally DeSantis is known for his commitment to education freedom and innovation. Florida owes its national Parent Power lead to DeSantis’ relentless efforts for families in the Sunshine state.   Can’t wait to see what happens in the Sunshine state over the next four years.

State Legislature:

Both chambers are a majority pro-parent power and typically embrace policies that improve education options for Florida’s students. The 2021 choice expansion law passed the full House 79 to 36 and passed the Senate 25 to 14. In addition, the body’s vocal efforts encouraged public schools to safely reopen for millions of kids months before other states did and overtime have fostered innovations in teaching, learning, digital and higher education.

Constitutional Issues

Florida’s Blaine Amendment has been interpreted as prohibitive of using public funds for private schools and has been used twice to strike down an Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Florida School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School and district report cards are easy to access from Florida’s DOE homepage under the Accountability subheading. School report cards contain one summative grade at the top, making it clear to parents. Reports are useful and complete, including data on performance, attendance, graduation, per-pupil expenditure, and more. Users can search by zip code to compare nearest schools, which is a great added feature for parents.

Educational options are also extremely easy to locate under the Feature Topics subheading by clicking School Choice, where you can access information on K-12 scholarship programs and charter schools.

School board elections are during the general election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.

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Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools, open by choice, free from most rules and regulations that hamper traditional public schools and held accountable for results.

Since 1991, when charter schools were first established in Minnesota, the principle has remained the same — increased operational autonomy in exchange for increased accountability for outcomes. This freedom to innovate allows academically excellent charter schools to flourish.

As of 2020, there were more than 7,300 charter schools across the country with more than 3.3 million students, with demand higher everywhere they are located. Forty-six states, including Washington, D.C. have charter school laws. West Virginia enacted the most recent law in 2019. All charter laws are not created equal, however, and in fact, many are so flawed that they allow for only minimal opportunity for parents. PPI draws from CER’s newest Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard, produced in the summer of 2020. For the US as a whole, the glass is more empty than full when it comes to meaningful charter choices.

Since 1996, CER has researched, analyzed, and ranked charter school laws, taking the content of each law into consideration as well as how it impacts charter schools on the ground. This Parent Power Index looks at four main areas of each state’s law:

If it allows for multiple authorizers, and if applicants have the ability to appeal a denial; whether it allows for growth, particularly with no caps on number of schools or enrollment; if schools and teachers have freedom to innovate; and if there is equitable funding of schools, including for facilities and transportation.

Charter schools are the most analyzed public school reform in decades. Since 1996, CER has studied their impact, their environment, and their practice and made recommendations for how to improve each law. The Parent Power Index charter score is based on whether the law allows for freedom and flexibility that can ensure parents, teachers and the general public are able to build vibrant, successful charter schools without undue interference from flawed state regulators, with equitable funding and parents in the driver’s seat. More about how this works can be found in CER publications, most notably Charting a New Course and The Future of School.

In addition, past rankings document how states have grown or confined charter schools and what best practices should be followed. Finally CER has provided a model charter school law for policymakers that is the standard bearer for advocates who believe that parents, not systems, should drive education.

Choice Programs

Educational choice is best defined as the availability of a multitude of public programs that provide parents with the ability to include private and religious entities – schools, tutoring, and other organizations – in their choices. Those programs are enacted at the state level, allowing in a wide variety of ways that the funds allocated for education in a state either follow the student to the institution the parent chooses or, as in the case of tax credits, public funds are redistributed to support the choices parents make, rather than automatically going to government based school districts.

These options are often referred to as scholarship programs, vouchers, tax credits, education accounts and more.

The existence of a higher degree of educational choice in a community or state, particularly for lower income students, has been found to be a significant factor in improving education and ensuring all students have access to the best school that meets their individual needs. Where once private options were only available to the more advantaged, most choice programs today ensure that those without resources have the power to shape their student’s education and invest in their future.

PPI 2020 assesses the extent to which every state gives families better and more abundant educational options through various mechanisms. Choice programs are analyzed and evaluated on their potential to reach all children across a state and for the degree to which they can actually support the full choice of parents, as opposed to only providing a modest amount of financial support. Programs where a significant population of parents can obtain scholarships or vouchers to send their children to the school of their choice score higher than those that have limitations based on geography, income, and student eligibility constraints.

To determine scores, PPI relies on well-established organizations which study, advance and support such programs. The scores were developed with this lens, and on information and ratings from EdChoice’s School Choice in America Dashboard, American Legislative Exchange Council’s Report Card on American Education: 23rd Edition, and American Federation for Children’s School Choice Interactive Map.

Teacher Quality

Teacher Quality is an equally important facet of ensuring greater educational opportunity. There is a direct correlation between quality teachers and student achievement, and teachers have the power to foster highly effective learning environments and leave a lasting impact on the future of their students. State teacher policies are critical in ensuring that students have the opportunity to receive the best education possible. Without schools full of well-prepared teachers who are held accountable either directly to the parent or to taxpayers for student achievement, opportunity can be meaningless. Most states vary widely in the criteria used to train, hire, retain, evaluate, reward and advance teachers, and local rules also influence that criteria greatly, as do teachers unions. PPI looked again to the expert analysis of the National Council of Teacher Quality, and from several aspects of their work PPI extrapolated final teacher quality scores. (NCTQ does not grade each state.)

Relying solely on the rich data collected from the National Council on Teacher Quality, states are measured by across a wide range of policy categories: Training and Recruitment, Staffing and Support, Evaluation, and Compensation. The score is by no means comprehensive about teacher quality across every community and state, but it is based on the extent to which states rigorously expect, manage and measure different aspects of teacher training, hiring, evaluation and compensation. States score higher when they have strong, data-driven, performance-based accountability systems that ensure teachers are rewarded, retained, and advanced based on their effectiveness. Likewise, states that establish rigorous teacher preparation programs and offer alternative licensing programs earn higher scores.

For more information about the Teacher Quality landscape, please see the National Council on Teacher Quality’s detailed analysis in their State Teacher Policy Database.

Innovation

States are measured on their increasing commitment to and practice of innovative approaches to education that include digital learning models and pathways, full or in part, encouraging personalized learning through focus on competency and mastery – even on a pilot level – or by allowing flexibility in schools and school districts that want to do it. Personalized learning models value mastery of material over traditional subject matter time tests, and competency over end of course grades. While these practices are best decided locally, closest to the student, states can motivate, incentivize, fund, discourage or encourage.

To determine scores, the PPI drew heavily from ExcelinEd’s 2019 State Progress Toward Next Generation Learning, Aurora Institute’s 2020 Future-Focused State Policy Actions to Transform K-12 Education, and KnowledgeWorks’ 2019 State Policy Framework for Personalized Learning.

COVID-19 Response

When COVID-19 reached our shores in early 2020, states were forced to close their schools for in-person instruction. Whether and how to continue teaching and set expectations for continued learning outside of the classroom was a big debate. Many states and schools quickly pivoted to delivering education remotely, either through technology enabled tools or with low-tech paper packets and phone calls, or a combination of both. The response from schools and school districts varied widely, with some being willing to adapt and some actually discouraging both teaching and learning. CER tracked those responses (and continues to do so, given the fluidity of the situation). States that were encouraging, set expectations, and demanded that schools figure out whatever they could to keep moving students forward, tended to have more schools and districts that responded well and worked to deliver education regardless of challenges. Many states that had digital or virtual learning programs in place were able to make a more seamless shift. Innovative leaders at local and state levels rose to the occasion. But many states and localities dragged their feet and, in some cases, outright discouraged schooling to keep going, including forbidding teachers in some areas to be required to do any face to face teaching via technology.

States were evaluated based on reviewing their official notices and declarations, and by reviewing a broad array of surveys and data many groups have been maintaining. This score also factors in states’ prior commitments to expanding broadband and internet access and how they worked to provide devices to keep students learning and engaged.

What was, and is, a challenging and unprecedented time for schools, teachers, and parents was also an opportunity to look at states’ and schools’ abilities to adapt, be flexible, and innovate.

For more on Education Innovation, check out the CER ACTION Series:

  • Virtual Events & Videos
  • Key Data
  • Resources
  • Publications

Leadership

Improving education opportunity and innovation requires leaders who boldly and courageously push forward to create or expand successful programs that allow a wide variety of educational choice and individualized programs to thrive. Governors and state legislators are the most important entities in each state to pave the way, or deter, expanded parent power. Some leaders pay lip service to issues, while others wake up with a fire in their belly to ensure that they are doing what they can every day to push through conventional wisdom and demand 21st century schooling opportunities for all students.

Whether or not your governor is the bold, fire-in-the-belly kind, or a passive applauder of others’ efforts, is evaluated to help you push or prod or applaud. PPI looks at their positions AND actions on charter schools, choice programs, innovation, and commitment to increasing educational opportunities for all students at every level and summarizes it for you here. You have the power to elect leaders who prioritize parents and students!

Constitutional Issues

The ability for states to enact educational change can be significantly limited depending on certain provisions in state constitutions.

The most common clause that limits educational opportunity in most states are “Blaine Amendments” – named after 19th century Congressman James Blaine nearly 150 years ago. Historically, these provisions in 37 state constitutions were either interpreted to restrict educational choice programs that include private schools or have been a deterrent for many programs being considered, let alone enacted.

This issue received a great deal of press leading up to and following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30, 2020 decision in the case of Espinoza vs Montana Department of Revenue, a case that dealt with Montana’s Blaine Amendment. That landmark decision found that the U.S. Constitution “forbids states from excluding religious schools as options for families participating in educational choice programs, including through Blaine Amendments.”

As a result, most states have a new path to enact programs that provide options for families, including religious schools. Their individual versions of Blaine Amendments can either be nullified with attorney generals’ opinions, with legislation or with both. Additional restrictions on expanded opportunity are often dedicated by what is called a Compelled Support Clause where dated constitutional language restricts public funding to government entities.

We look at each state’s particular constitutional issues, utilizing a number of sources, CER attorney analysis and the Institute for Justice’s research as our guide. Additional information about Espinoza and Blaine Amendments can be found here.

In addition, if states have other constitutional barriers to more opportunity, they are evaluated in this area.

Transparency

Transparency is a key element of providing great opportunities for students. Every parent needs and deserves full transparency of school-level data to allow them to make informed decisions and drive changes in how their students are educated. School report cards empower parents in their decision making by giving them access to meaningful and quality education data about a particular school or district. Report cards often provide information on student performance, student growth, attendance, graduation rates, demographics, teacher quality, school environment, assessments, and more. States that have greater transparency and accountability provide the public with data that is current, readily available, and easy to understand.

States are measured based on the transparency and accessibility of data for the average person looking to learn about their child’s school. States have more gas in the tank when school report cards are easily accessible from their state DOE homepage; report cards are comprehensive, user-friendly, and easy to understand; and information about educational options are readily available. Additionally, states score higher when they hold School Board Elections during the General Election cycle, as opposed to off-times of the year when turnout is low, because this tends to afford parents more power in their decision-making.