Policy & Politics

School Choice & Charters

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, policies, governance, research, advocacy, and institutions around school choice and charters.

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  • The Latest

    Creative Minds students find their partners during daily family time in Wichita Kansas.
    Students find their partners during daily family time on Sept. 15, 2026, at Creative Minds, a microschool run by the public school district in Wichita, Kan. Interest in microschools has surged in recent years, and some school districts are starting their own. One example is in Indiana, where Superintendent George Philhower of the Eastern Hancock district has started the Indiana Microschool Collaborative.
    Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Q&A To Compete With School Choice, This Superintendent Turned to Microschools
    More school districts have started microschools. George Philhower has started a network of them.
    Arianna Prothero, October 8, 2026
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    4 min read
    MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 22, 2026: Students move through the halls at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, MN.
    The Trump administration has released proposed regulations outlining how the first nationwide school choice program will operate when it launches next year. The regulations leave some major questions unaddressed but clarify other aspects for the tax-credit scholarship program.
    Caroline Yang for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Explainer New Rules for Federal School Choice: What You Need to Know
    Proposed rules from the IRS offer some details on how the first nationwide school choice program will work.
    Arianna Prothero, Mark Lieberman & Matthew Stone, October 1, 2026
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    14 min read
    The tax credit program would allow individuals who donate up to $1,700 to a scholarship granting organization to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit in exchange. Pictured are students at Northeast Elementary located at 1024 Fleming Ave. in Jackson on Aug. 20, 2025.
    Students at Northeast Elementary School in Jackson, Mich., on Aug. 20, 2025. A tax-credit scholarship program launching in January will allow individuals who donate up to $1,700 to a scholarship granting organization to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit. Those SGOs can give out awards to cover private school tuition as well as some expenses for public school students.
    Abra Richardson/mlive.com via TNS
    School Choice & Charters Federal Education Tax Credit Rules Are Finally Here. What We Know So Far
    The Treasury Department unveiled regulations governing a massive infusion of education funding nationwide.
    Arianna Prothero & Mark Lieberman, October 1, 2026
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    5 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Opinion What Do Parents Look for in a School?
    Test scores aren’t the whole story. The CEO of GreatSchools talks about what parents want.
    Rick Hess, September 22, 2026
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    5 min read
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    Daisy Wisbey, 11, and Eleanor Mukiri, 10, work on an engineering challenge at Creative Minds in Wichita, Kan., on Sept. 15, 2026. The Wichita public schools runs Creative Minds as a microschool, in which students from multiple grades learn together in a project-based learning format. Wichita is among a handful of public school districts that have begun their own microschools.
    Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Microschools Are Spreading. Some School Districts Have Opened Their Own
    Districts see the small learning communities as an alternative for families that may otherwise leave.
    Arianna Prothero, September 16, 2026
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    8 min read
    President Donald Trump, center right, walks with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, center left, and guests after a back to school event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump, center right, walks with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, center left, and guests after a back-to-school event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington. A new report envisions a number of scenarios in which the new federal school choice program launching next year could become one of the nation's largest K-12 funding streams.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    School Choice & Charters Could Trump's School Choice Program Rival Title I or IDEA in Size?
    A new report looks at how much money could be raised under different scenarios.
    Arianna Prothero, September 10, 2026
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    6 min read
    CapitalCity004B
    Seniors line up during their graduation rehearsal at the Capital City Public Charter School in Washington on June 11, 2026. A new analysis breaks down the number of students in each state who could qualify for financial awards under the new federal tax-credit scholarship program launching next year. The awards could cover private school tuition as well as certain expenses for traditional public and charter school students.
    Marvin Joseph/Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Vast Majority of Students Could Qualify for Trump's School Choice Program
    Although most students are expected to be eligible, four factors will shape its ultimate size.
    Matthew Stone, July 30, 2026
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    7 min read
    Vermont State House 24197596488760
    The Vermont State House in Montpelier, Vt., on Friday, July 12, 2024. Vermont last week became the first state to enact rules restricting scholarships awarded under a new federal school choice program to public school and low-income students.
    Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo
    School Choice & Charters A State's New Law Sets Up Clash With Trump's School Choice Program Rules
    A state passed new requirements if it opts in to the new federal scholarship tax credit program.
    Matthew Stone, June 23, 2026
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    6 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Opinion What the International Debate Over School Choice Can Teach Us at Home
    A scholar highlights a new push to forge a consensus on parental rights—from New York to Africa.
    Rick Hess, June 23, 2026
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    6 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Opinion Microschools Are Booming. Will They Have the Funds to Grow?
    This venture can help “small schools” secure space, improve facilities, and grow enrollment.
    Rick Hess, June 16, 2026
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    6 min read
    Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a meeting of the Oregon Prosperity Council in Portland on Jan. 22 . In a new poll of Portland metro area voters, only a third of respondents said they have a positive opinion of Kotek.
    Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon speaks at a meeting of the Oregon Prosperity Council in Portland on Jan. 22. 2026. Kotek said Friday she wouldn't opt Oregon in to a new federal tax credit program that, starting next year, will bankroll scholarships for K-12 students that can cover private school tuition, home-school expenses in some states, and certain expenses for public school students.
    Mark Graves/The Oregonian via TNS
    School Choice & Charters Another Democratic-Leaning State Will Pass on the Federal School Choice Program
    Thirty-one states are on track to participate in the first federal tax-credit scholarship program.
    Matthew Stone, June 12, 2026
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    4 min read
    Graduation cap and dollars. Scholarship or student loan concept.
    Getty
    School Choice & Charters How Can Public Schools Participate in Trump's Federal Choice Program?
    The Trump administration has confirmed public schools can receive federal scholarship funds. Here's how.
    Matthew Stone, Evie Blad & Mark Lieberman, June 11, 2026
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    7 min read
    HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 9: Students walk down a hallway outside classrooms at Houston Quran Academy in Houston, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
    Students walk down a hallway outside classrooms at Houston Quran Academy in Houston on May 9, 2025. Texas initially excluded Islamic schools from its new private school choice program, leading some to wonder if other states might limit the kinds of private schools eligible for state school choice funding.
    Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty
    School Choice & Charters Could More States Try to Keep Islamic Schools Out of Their Choice Programs?
    A state asserted it could exclude certain schools from its new private school choice program.
    Arianna Prothero, May 20, 2026
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    10 min read
    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reads "Snowflakes Fall" to daycare children at the Department of Labor on Dec. 20, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. Hochul on Jan. 3, 2024, said she will push for schools to reemphasize phonics in literacy education programs, a potential overhaul that comes as many states revamp curriculums amid low reading scores.
    New York Gov. Kathy Hochul reads "Snowflakes Fall" to children on Dec. 20, 2023, in Albany, N.Y. Hochul became the latest Democratic governor to say she'll opt her state in to the federal tax-credit scholarship program that takes effect next year, and will direct federal taxpayer funds to private school scholarships.
    Will Waldron/The Albany Times Union via AP
    School Choice & Charters A Large Democratic-Led State Says Yes to Trump’s School Choice Program
    Thirty-one states are on track to participate in the first major federal foray into private school choice.
    Matthew Stone, May 8, 2026
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    5 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Opinion A New Federal Education Tax Credit Is Creating a Dilemma for Blue States
    A new tax credit is forcing Democrats to navigate the tensions of politics and principles.
    Rick Hess, April 28, 2026
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    9 min read