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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

Rhode Island

U.S.
Rank

#32
Overall PPI Score:
63.6%
PPI Grade Key:
← Back to Rhode Island state overview
A
B
C
D
F
  • Opportunity
  • Innovation
  • Policy Environment

Charter Schools

Score:

62%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#40

Having hit their cap, Ocean State charters here are confined and remain predominantly in the cities, mainly because unions have opposed needed bipartisan reform proposals. It’s a pity, considering their enormous success in a state that otherwise values education innovation.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1995

Most recently amended: 2016

Number of charter schools: 37

Number of charter students: 10,537

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes

Virtual charters allowed? No

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: The state Board of Education is the final authorizer, after  approval by a local school board, state commissioner of education or mayor of any city or town in Rhode Island (called Mayoral Academies).

GROWTH: Charter enrollment increased 2,000 over the last 2 years among the 35 charter cap the state has reached (but there are 37 schools, as some charters have more than one campus).  Without lifting the cap there will be no more growth.

OPERATIONS: There is no blanket waiver. The commissioner of education is empowered to create rules and regulations for charter schools, and charter schools can apply for waivers if they would like to be exempted from certain regulations. 

EQUITY: The funding for charter schools here is supposed to consist with state and district revenue based on the same formula as is used for traditional district schools. The law also states that districts should calculate it based on the number of free and reduced lunch students, those with limited English proficiency, and special education.  Including local funding directed from districts to charters. Schools apply to the state for reimbursement of up to 30% of facilities costs.

Learn More:

Rhode Island Charter School Law

Rhode Island League of Charter Schools

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

Score:

60%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#35

A very modest tax credit for scholarship programs is capped artificially low, resulting in the ability of fewer than 400 students to participate. 

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 2006

Number of programs: 1

Statewide Participation: 397

Types of programs: Tax Credit Scholarship

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Tax-Credit Scholarship
Tax Credits for Contributions to Scholarship Organizations
Rhode Island’s tax-credit scholarship program was launched in 2007, and offers corporations that donate to Scholarship Granting Organizations a 75% tax credit for one year, or 90% for two consecutive years. Students are eligible for the program if their household income is below 250% of the poverty level. The program does not have an enrollment cap or a scholarship per-student cap.

Learn More:

EdChoice Analysis on Rhode Island

Federation for Children Choice Program Information

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

74%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#22

Content knowledge factors strongly into teacher preparation programs at the elementary, middle, and secondary level. Student growth is 30% of teacher evaluation ratings.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 81%
General Teacher Preparation 82%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 78%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 90%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 68%
Alternate Routes 85%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 76%
Hiring 87%
Retaining Effective Teachers 65%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 84%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 55%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Charter Schools

Score:

62%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#40

Having hit their cap, Ocean State charters here are confined and remain predominantly in the cities, mainly because unions have opposed needed bipartisan reform proposals. It’s a pity, considering their enormous success in a state that otherwise values education innovation.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1995

Most recently amended: 2016

Number of charter schools: 37

Number of charter students: 10,537

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes

Virtual charters allowed? No

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: The state Board of Education is the final authorizer, after  approval by a local school board, state commissioner of education or mayor of any city or town in Rhode Island (called Mayoral Academies).

GROWTH: Charter enrollment increased 2,000 over the last 2 years among the 35 charter cap the state has reached (but there are 37 schools, as some charters have more than one campus).  Without lifting the cap there will be no more growth.

OPERATIONS: There is no blanket waiver. The commissioner of education is empowered to create rules and regulations for charter schools, and charter schools can apply for waivers if they would like to be exempted from certain regulations. 

EQUITY: The funding for charter schools here is supposed to consist with state and district revenue based on the same formula as is used for traditional district schools. The law also states that districts should calculate it based on the number of free and reduced lunch students, those with limited English proficiency, and special education.  Including local funding directed from districts to charters. Schools apply to the state for reimbursement of up to 30% of facilities costs.

Learn More:

Rhode Island Charter School Law

Rhode Island League of Charter Schools

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

Score:

60%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#35

A very modest tax credit for scholarship programs is capped artificially low, resulting in the ability of fewer than 400 students to participate. 

Fast Facts:

Law enacted: 2006

Number of programs: 1

Statewide Participation: 397

Types of programs: Tax Credit Scholarship

Choice Laws & Analysis:

Tax-Credit Scholarship
Tax Credits for Contributions to Scholarship Organizations
Rhode Island’s tax-credit scholarship program was launched in 2007, and offers corporations that donate to Scholarship Granting Organizations a 75% tax credit for one year, or 90% for two consecutive years. Students are eligible for the program if their household income is below 250% of the poverty level. The program does not have an enrollment cap or a scholarship per-student cap.

Learn More:

EdChoice Analysis on Rhode Island

Federation for Children Choice Program Information

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

74%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#22

Content knowledge factors strongly into teacher preparation programs at the elementary, middle, and secondary level. Student growth is 30% of teacher evaluation ratings.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 81%
General Teacher Preparation 82%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 78%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 90%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 68%
Alternate Routes 85%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 76%
Hiring 87%
Retaining Effective Teachers 65%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 84%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 55%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Digital & Personalized Learning

Digital Learning:

Score:

78%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#17

The statewide Virtual Education Act was enacted in 2012, and declares statewide “access to high quality, rigorous, and relevant online learning opportunities for all of Rhode Island’s public school students and to ensure promulgation of virtual learning regulations supporting access to high quality virtual instruction consistently throughout the state.”

While the state still needs to increase bandwidth capacity for all students, there are multiple initiatives in place to work towards ensuring that every school has the resources necessary to transform education to the 21st century. The Rhode Island Telecommunications Access Fund (RITEAF) guarantees that private and public schools in the state receive affordable internet. The Wireless Classroom Initiative Technology Bond works to expand WiFi to all schools, and all Rhode Island Schools are working towards Large Scale 1:1 Device Implementations.

The Rhode Island Department of Education also provides digital learning resources and programs to further expand learning in schools. These include: Future Ready Schools; the online video repository NBC Learn, computer science initiative #CS4RI, and Discovery Education Professional Development, and Open Educational Resources.

Bandwidth: “92.2% of students in Rhode Island can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. 10,144 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”

Personalized Learning:

Rhode Island is a leader in expanding personalized learning statewide through robust policies, which require every middle and high school in the state to 1. create strategies for personalized learning, and 2. develop Individual Learning Plans for every student. Additionally, new diploma requirements require students to successfully complete a performance-based diploma assessment. 

Rhode Island’s statewide Personalized Learning Initiative was launched in 2016 by the Rhode Island Office of Innovation. They work with state and local partners to expand personalized learning into public schools across the state and prepare students for their future. The state also adopted learner profiles for students, where teachers create a plan for their students to close learning gaps, and support their individual needs in the classroom. 

To increase flexibility, The School and Family Empowerment Act gives power to local districts and teachers to create Empowerment Schools. Empowerment schools allow for unprecedented freedom to redesign education and give every student the opportunity to receive high- quality, personalized education. 

Learn More:

Virtual Education Act

Rhode Island Telecommunications Access Fund (RITEAF)

Rhode Island Department of Education

Personalized Learning Initiative

The School and Family Empowerment Act

COVID-19 Response

Rhode Island responded quickly and communicated effectively in response to the COVID-19 crisis, creating a website with resources for students, parents, teachers, and administrators to support and encourage remote learning.

The state superintendent was committed to providing free internet access for families who needed it and provided guidance to schools and teachers on developing plans, including for special needs and ESL students.

In July, the state announced schools could resume in-person instruction August 31, and districts were required to submit their plans for reopening, and whether instruction would be in-person, virtual, or a combination of the two. Nearly every district had an approved plan by mid-August, but the governor changed the reopening date to September 14, except for two districts, Central Falls and Providence, who are not permitted to begin in-person until further notice.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

33%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

24%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat'l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

33%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

31%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat'l average)

Graduation Rate:

84%

Average SAT Score:

971/1600

Average ACT Score:

25.2/36

Public School Enrollment:

138,566

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

7.1%

Average Student Funding:

$16,857.00
Digital & Personalized Learning
Digital Learning:

Score:

78%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#17

The statewide Virtual Education Act was enacted in 2012, and declares statewide “access to high quality, rigorous, and relevant online learning opportunities for all of Rhode Island’s public school students and to ensure promulgation of virtual learning regulations supporting access to high quality virtual instruction consistently throughout the state.”

While the state still needs to increase bandwidth capacity for all students, there are multiple initiatives in place to work towards ensuring that every school has the resources necessary to transform education to the 21st century. The Rhode Island Telecommunications Access Fund (RITEAF) guarantees that private and public schools in the state receive affordable internet. The Wireless Classroom Initiative Technology Bond works to expand WiFi to all schools, and all Rhode Island Schools are working towards Large Scale 1:1 Device Implementations.

The Rhode Island Department of Education also provides digital learning resources and programs to further expand learning in schools. These include: Future Ready Schools; the online video repository NBC Learn, computer science initiative #CS4RI, and Discovery Education Professional Development, and Open Educational Resources.

Bandwidth: “92.2% of students in Rhode Island can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds. 10,144 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”

Personalized Learning:

Rhode Island is a leader in expanding personalized learning statewide through robust policies, which require every middle and high school in the state to 1. create strategies for personalized learning, and 2. develop Individual Learning Plans for every student. Additionally, new diploma requirements require students to successfully complete a performance-based diploma assessment. 

Rhode Island’s statewide Personalized Learning Initiative was launched in 2016 by the Rhode Island Office of Innovation. They work with state and local partners to expand personalized learning into public schools across the state and prepare students for their future. The state also adopted learner profiles for students, where teachers create a plan for their students to close learning gaps, and support their individual needs in the classroom. 

To increase flexibility, The School and Family Empowerment Act gives power to local districts and teachers to create Empowerment Schools. Empowerment schools allow for unprecedented freedom to redesign education and give every student the opportunity to receive high- quality, personalized education. 

Learn More:

Virtual Education Act

Rhode Island Telecommunications Access Fund (RITEAF)

Rhode Island Department of Education

Personalized Learning Initiative

The School and Family Empowerment Act

COVID-19 Response

Rhode Island responded quickly and communicated effectively in response to the COVID-19 crisis, creating a website with resources for students, parents, teachers, and administrators to support and encourage remote learning.

The state superintendent was committed to providing free internet access for families who needed it and provided guidance to schools and teachers on developing plans, including for special needs and ESL students.

In July, the state announced schools could resume in-person instruction August 31, and districts were required to submit their plans for reopening, and whether instruction would be in-person, virtual, or a combination of the two. Nearly every district had an approved plan by mid-August, but the governor changed the reopening date to September 14, except for two districts, Central Falls and Providence, who are not permitted to begin in-person until further notice.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

33%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

24%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat’l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

33%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

31%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat’l average)

Graduation Rate:

84%

Average SAT Score:

971/1600

Average ACT Score:

25.2/36

Public School Enrollment:

138,566

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

7.1%

Average Student Funding:

$16,857.00

Leadership

Your governor:

Daniel J. McKee (D)

First term began in 2021 (two-term limit)

In 2021, Lt Governor Daniel McKee became Governor when Gina Raimondo joined the Biden Administration. His first election to a four year term could bode well for parents if he takes the role he was once known for as the father of mayoral charter schools in Rhode Island to the next level and builds on innovation for all schools throughout the Ocean state. 

State Legislature:

The House and Senate are not strong environments for expanding what it takes to provide parents with real power. In February 2021 the Senate passed a bill that would establish a three- year moratorium on the expansion and creation of charter schools. They should be working to expand opportunity, not push further restrictions that deny Rhode Island families the choices they deserve in education.

Constitutional Issues

Rhode Island does not have a Blaine Amendment. “Rhode Island courts adhere to federal Establishment Clause precedent when interpreting the state’s Compelled Support Clause.” (Institute for Justice)

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Rhode Island School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School report cards are easy to access on Rhode Island’s DOE homepage under the Information and Accountability tab. Report cards contain a lot of detailed information on student performance, assessments, and teacher quality. Schools are given star ratings, based mostly on performance and school growth, and ratings are clearly explained and demonstrated on each tab, increasing their transparency. Educational options are also easily accessible on the homepage under Students and Families, where you can learn about different education programs offered by the state.

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:

Daniel J. McKee (D)

First term began in 2021 (two-term limit)

In 2021, Lt Governor Daniel McKee became Governor when Gina Raimondo joined the Biden Administration. His first election to a four year term could bode well for parents if he takes the role he was once known for as the father of mayoral charter schools in Rhode Island to the next level and builds on innovation for all schools throughout the Ocean state. 

State Legislature:

The House and Senate are not strong environments for expanding what it takes to provide parents with real power. In February 2021 the Senate passed a bill that would establish a three- year moratorium on the expansion and creation of charter schools. They should be working to expand opportunity, not push further restrictions that deny Rhode Island families the choices they deserve in education.

Constitutional Issues

Rhode Island does not have a Blaine Amendment. “Rhode Island courts adhere to federal Establishment Clause precedent when interpreting the state’s Compelled Support Clause.” (Institute for Justice)

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Rhode Island School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School report cards are easy to access on Rhode Island’s DOE homepage under the Information and Accountability tab. Report cards contain a lot of detailed information on student performance, assessments, and teacher quality. Schools are given star ratings, based mostly on performance and school growth, and ratings are clearly explained and demonstrated on each tab, increasing their transparency. Educational options are also easily accessible on the homepage under Students and Families, where you can learn about different education programs offered by the state.

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.