It's Working in Florida

School choice is working in other states. The debate over it's potential outcomes in South Carolina should really boil down to the results we see playing out in states where many thousands of families are eagerly participating.
School choice legislation is heading into State Senate Subcommittee (hopefully this week),  and we encourage you to consider a few of these results from Florida. We promise to keep this short and sweet!
 
 
Just as a refresher, Florida has the most expansive school choice program in the nation. Over 37,000 low-income students participate in the scholarship program, and over 22,000 students with special needs participate in the McKay Scholarship Program. The results have been extremely rewarding. Here are a few of those results. 
 
-  Northwestern University economist David Figlio found positive test score gains in public school students and for tax credit participants.
 
- The Florida Department of Education found charter schools had higher levels of academic achievement, larger academic gains and smaller achievement gaps.
 
- The Manhattan Institute found profoundly higher levels of parental satisfaction among McKay Scholarship (special needs scholarships) parents and test score improvements for special needs students in public schools facing higher levels of McKay competition.
 
School choice is working in other states, and will work here in South Carolina. Senators looking to employ proven policy reforms for education need to take a careful look at legacy of school choice's success in Florida, and make educational options available to South Carolina families.