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PARENT POWER!

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  • 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

Texas

U.S.
Rank

#21
Overall PPI Score:
70.2%
PPI Grade Key:
← Back to Texas state overview
A
B
C
D
F
  • Opportunity
  • Innovation
  • Policy Environment

Charter Schools

Score:

82%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#9

An open, expansive charter school law has given thousands of kids great opportunities but this enormous state’s  reliance on the Texas Education Agency to approve and manage all of its charters reduces the potential for many other institutions to get involved and grow these life-saving opportunities.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1995

Most recently amended: 2019

Number of charter schools: 927

Number of charter students: 399,712

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes. (Details are below).

Virtual charters allowed? Yes

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local school districts and the State Commissioner of Education are the only authorizers. Additionally, the state commissioner must notify the state board of education of each school he or she intends to authorize, and the board can overturn that decision by majority vote. 

There are four types of charter schools allowed in Texas:

Home-rule School District Charters, but there are none.

Campus Program Charters – School districts authorize and oversee these schools.

Open-enrollment Charters – Most charters in Texas fall under this category. The commissioner authorizes these schools.

Junior College Charters – The commissioner also authorizes these schools. Eligible entities include public colleges and universities.

There is no appeals process for any type of school. 

GROWTH: Beginning in 2019, there is a cap of 305 new open enrollment charters approved per year. There is no cap on the number of university charter schools allowed. There is also no cap for open-enrollment charter schools primarily serving students with disabilities. Campus charter schools, which are approved by districts, may not collectively enroll more than 15% of the district’s total enrollment during the preceding school year, with some exceptions. 

OPERATIONS: Charters in Texas are exempt from many rules and regulations that apply to traditional public schools, but they do not receive a blanket waiver. Additionally, charters are subject to automatic closure rules which do not always take into consideration who Charter Schools serve or their growth.

In 2019, Texas passed legislation that requires the state commissioner of education to use a common application form for admission to an open-enrollment charter school. It also requires the commissioner to create a waiting list of applicants to charter schools and make it publicly available.

EQUITY: The law provides a funding formula for open-enrollment charters but no formula for district-authorized charters. The funding formula is based on the average daily attendance of students. The Foundation School Program (FSP) is the source for the funds. Open-enrollment charters are entitled to funds from the state agency or state commissioner in the form of grants.  The state does not provide per pupil facilities funding for charter schools, though it does provide per-pupil funding for charter schools operating pre-k programs, and transportation funding is available but not automatically provided.

The attorney general can approve tax-exempt charter school bonds, outlawing the previous authority held by municipalities, which had the potential to prevent charters from expanding by withholding tax-exempt status.

Learn More:

Texas Charter School Law

Texas Public Charter Schools Association

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

Score:

50%

Grade:

F

Rank:

#38

There are no choice programs in this state.

Fast Facts:
Choice Laws & Analysis:
Learn More:

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

75%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#17

Elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs require prospective teachers to pass content knowledge tests; teacher effectiveness is not a factor in licensure advancement or tenure.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 79%
General Teacher Preparation 93%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 89%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 80%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 75%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 69%
Hiring 75%
Retaining Effective Teachers 63%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 80%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 72%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Charter Schools

Score:

82%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#9

An open, expansive charter school law has given thousands of kids great opportunities but this enormous state’s  reliance on the Texas Education Agency to approve and manage all of its charters reduces the potential for many other institutions to get involved and grow these life-saving opportunities.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1995

Most recently amended: 2019

Number of charter schools: 927

Number of charter students: 399,712

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes. (Details are below).

Virtual charters allowed? Yes

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local school districts and the State Commissioner of Education are the only authorizers. Additionally, the state commissioner must notify the state board of education of each school he or she intends to authorize, and the board can overturn that decision by majority vote. 

There are four types of charter schools allowed in Texas:

Home-rule School District Charters, but there are none.

Campus Program Charters – School districts authorize and oversee these schools.

Open-enrollment Charters – Most charters in Texas fall under this category. The commissioner authorizes these schools.

Junior College Charters – The commissioner also authorizes these schools. Eligible entities include public colleges and universities.

There is no appeals process for any type of school. 

GROWTH: Beginning in 2019, there is a cap of 305 new open enrollment charters approved per year. There is no cap on the number of university charter schools allowed. There is also no cap for open-enrollment charter schools primarily serving students with disabilities. Campus charter schools, which are approved by districts, may not collectively enroll more than 15% of the district’s total enrollment during the preceding school year, with some exceptions. 

OPERATIONS: Charters in Texas are exempt from many rules and regulations that apply to traditional public schools, but they do not receive a blanket waiver. Additionally, charters are subject to automatic closure rules which do not always take into consideration who Charter Schools serve or their growth.

In 2019, Texas passed legislation that requires the state commissioner of education to use a common application form for admission to an open-enrollment charter school. It also requires the commissioner to create a waiting list of applicants to charter schools and make it publicly available.

EQUITY: The law provides a funding formula for open-enrollment charters but no formula for district-authorized charters. The funding formula is based on the average daily attendance of students. The Foundation School Program (FSP) is the source for the funds. Open-enrollment charters are entitled to funds from the state agency or state commissioner in the form of grants.  The state does not provide per pupil facilities funding for charter schools, though it does provide per-pupil funding for charter schools operating pre-k programs, and transportation funding is available but not automatically provided.

The attorney general can approve tax-exempt charter school bonds, outlawing the previous authority held by municipalities, which had the potential to prevent charters from expanding by withholding tax-exempt status.

Learn More:

Texas Charter School Law

Texas Public Charter Schools Association

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

Score:

50%

Grade:

F

Rank:

#38

There are no choice programs in this state.

Fast Facts:
Choice Laws & Analysis:
Learn More:

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

75%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#17

Elementary and secondary teacher preparation programs require prospective teachers to pass content knowledge tests; teacher effectiveness is not a factor in licensure advancement or tenure.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 79%
General Teacher Preparation 93%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 89%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 80%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 75%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 69%
Hiring 75%
Retaining Effective Teachers 63%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 80%
Teacher and Principal Evaluation

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 72%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Digital & Personalized Learning

Digital Learning:

Score:

82%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#8

The Texas Education Agency has enacted legislation to accelerate digital learning growth in schools. The Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 was implemented to encourage and assist school districts with technology literacy and curriculum integration. In 2006, they released the Long Range Plan for Technology. The state also has technology standards for PreK-12 students and teachers. 

The Texas Virtual School Network expands educational opportunities for eligible high school students to take online supplemental classes, and open to eligible 3-12 grade students to enroll full-time. The program requires public and charter schools to be in an agreement with TXVSN, so courses are not open to all students in the state. For the 2019-2020 school year, 7 virtual schools were approved to teach full-time. 

Harris County Department of Education also offers digital learning support to support classrooms and teachers.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife department has a unique statewide initiative, the TPWDiscover Distance Learning program, where “students can virtually connect with agency experts to learn about the natural and cultural resources found in Texas.” Students can register for an interactive program where they speak directly to the presenter, and have the option to watch the presentation live through a non-interactive class.

Texas’ El Paso Independent School District, Socorro Independent School District, and Stephenville Independent School District are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, giving over 110,000 students in the state access to digital learning. 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 Texas 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. 86,505 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”

Personalized Learning:

Texas has enacted legislation to take the lead on personalized learning through their Districts of Innovation Program, which gives districts flexibility to tailor the school to the student, not the student to the school.

Learn More:

Texas Education Agency

Texas Virtual School Network

Harris County Department of Education

TPWDiscover Distance Learning program

League of Innovative Schools

Districts of Innovation Program

COVID-19 Response

Texas responded quickly and efficiently in response to the COVID-19 crisis, guiding districts to be flexible and creative in their plans for remote learning. The state provided resources and information to students, parents, teachers and administrators via a new website and actively worked to ensure all students had access to devices and the internet.

The state has issued guidelines online on reopening for the 2020-21 school year, and continue to update it.

Leaders there have stressed the importance of local school leaders making decisions about their students returning to school. The state has distributed personal protective equipment (PPE) to schools for all students as well.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

39%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

23%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat'l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

30%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

23%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat'l average)

Graduation Rate:

90%

Average SAT Score:

1001/1600

Average ACT Score:

19.8/36

Public School Enrollment:

5,428,613

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

7.1%

Average Student Funding:

$10,342.00
Digital & Personalized Learning
Digital Learning:

Score:

82%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#8

The Texas Education Agency has enacted legislation to accelerate digital learning growth in schools. The Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001 was implemented to encourage and assist school districts with technology literacy and curriculum integration. In 2006, they released the Long Range Plan for Technology. The state also has technology standards for PreK-12 students and teachers. 

The Texas Virtual School Network expands educational opportunities for eligible high school students to take online supplemental classes, and open to eligible 3-12 grade students to enroll full-time. The program requires public and charter schools to be in an agreement with TXVSN, so courses are not open to all students in the state. For the 2019-2020 school year, 7 virtual schools were approved to teach full-time. 

Harris County Department of Education also offers digital learning support to support classrooms and teachers.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife department has a unique statewide initiative, the TPWDiscover Distance Learning program, where “students can virtually connect with agency experts to learn about the natural and cultural resources found in Texas.” Students can register for an interactive program where they speak directly to the presenter, and have the option to watch the presentation live through a non-interactive class.

Texas’ El Paso Independent School District, Socorro Independent School District, and Stephenville Independent School District are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, giving over 110,000 students in the state access to digital learning. 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 Texas 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. 86,505 students still need more bandwidth for digital learning.”

Personalized Learning:

Texas has enacted legislation to take the lead on personalized learning through their Districts of Innovation Program, which gives districts flexibility to tailor the school to the student, not the student to the school.

Learn More:

Texas Education Agency

Texas Virtual School Network

Harris County Department of Education

TPWDiscover Distance Learning program

League of Innovative Schools

Districts of Innovation Program

COVID-19 Response

Texas responded quickly and efficiently in response to the COVID-19 crisis, guiding districts to be flexible and creative in their plans for remote learning. The state provided resources and information to students, parents, teachers and administrators via a new website and actively worked to ensure all students had access to devices and the internet.

The state has issued guidelines online on reopening for the 2020-21 school year, and continue to update it.

Leaders there have stressed the importance of local school leaders making decisions about their students returning to school. The state has distributed personal protective equipment (PPE) to schools for all students as well.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

39%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

23%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat’l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

30%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

23%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat’l average)

Graduation Rate:

90%

Average SAT Score:

1001/1600

Average ACT Score:

19.8/36

Public School Enrollment:

5,428,613

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

7.1%

Average Student Funding:

$10,342.00

Leadership

Your governor:

Greg Abbott (R)

First term began in 2015 (no term limit)

Governor Gregg Abbott was reelected with a 10% margin over his well known opponent.  The Governor has made it very well known that he supports giving parents the option to attend private school with public funds following the student.  “The state should not have the authority to keep children in public school systems where they’re not succeeding.”  They say everything is bigger in Texas and with a big push of parent power, perhaps Governor Abbott can get his wish and deliver on a major proposal much like Arizona.

State Legislature:

A legislature in the hands of pro parent legislators that don’t necessarily kow-tow to unions, but still seem very happy to placate school boards and the status quo. The enormous success of educational opportunity efforts in places like San Antonio and Houston should be enough for them to want to bring new Choice programs to all Texas families.

 

Constitutional Issues

“The few interpretations of Texas’ Blaine Amendments and its Compelled Support Clause that exist do not prohibit providing aid to parents to enable them to select public or private schools for their children.” (Institute for Justice) However, the state constitution is interpreted to restrict use of specifically allocated school funds for the purposes of educational options.

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Texas School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

Report cards can be found easily from the Texas Education Agency homepage by clicking Reports and Data, then School Performance. School report cards are formatted into PDFs, making it easy for parents to print but report cards have very little text; data on demographics, class size, finances, and student performance are in tables, making comparisons difficult.

Educational options are accessible on the homepage as well, information and resources on charter schools are available under the Texas Schools tab.

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:

Greg Abbott (R)

First term began in 2015 (no term limit)

Governor Gregg Abbott was reelected with a 10% margin over his well known opponent.  The Governor has made it very well known that he supports giving parents the option to attend private school with public funds following the student.  “The state should not have the authority to keep children in public school systems where they’re not succeeding.”  They say everything is bigger in Texas and with a big push of parent power, perhaps Governor Abbott can get his wish and deliver on a major proposal much like Arizona.

State Legislature:

A legislature in the hands of pro parent legislators that don’t necessarily kow-tow to unions, but still seem very happy to placate school boards and the status quo. The enormous success of educational opportunity efforts in places like San Antonio and Houston should be enough for them to want to bring new Choice programs to all Texas families.

 

Constitutional Issues

“The few interpretations of Texas’ Blaine Amendments and its Compelled Support Clause that exist do not prohibit providing aid to parents to enable them to select public or private schools for their children.” (Institute for Justice) However, the state constitution is interpreted to restrict use of specifically allocated school funds for the purposes of educational options.

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Texas School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

Report cards can be found easily from the Texas Education Agency homepage by clicking Reports and Data, then School Performance. School report cards are formatted into PDFs, making it easy for parents to print but report cards have very little text; data on demographics, class size, finances, and student performance are in tables, making comparisons difficult.

Educational options are accessible on the homepage as well, information and resources on charter schools are available under the Texas Schools tab.

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.