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By Kathryn Hickok
Cascade Policy Institute
The National School Choice Awareness Foundation [6] conducted a survey of parents of school-aged children in early January. The results indicate that parents “increasingly see school choice as the ‘new normal’ in a post-pandemic world.” The survey report, New Year, New Schools: U.S. Parents View K-12 School Choice as the “New Normal” in 2024 [7], shows 72% of parents said they considered new schools for their children last year.
According to Andrew Campanella, President and CEO of National School Choice Awareness Foundation, the survey reveals three important things about parents today:
- “Parents considering new schools…[are] up 35% from 2022….In 2023, 20 states expanded school choice, and parents want in.”
- “64% of parents say they wish they had more information about education options for their children….”
- “Only 29% of surveyed parents say that the same school type works well for all of the children in their home. Parents know their children best, and finding the right school fit…is paramount.”
National School Choice Week [8] (January 21-27, 2024) celebrates all the ways children learn, including district public schools, charter and magnet schools, private schools, home schools, online schools, and hybrid options. Empowering parents to choose the best educational environments for their children as individuals helps each student have effective opportunities to succeed.
Kathryn Hickok is Executive Vice President at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization, and Director of Cascade’s Children’s Scholarship Fund-Oregon program.