Readings

• Required: 

  • “The Case for Educational Pluralism in the United States,” Dr. Ashley Rogers Berner, Manhattan Institute,  2019

  • “Democratic Education” excerpt, Amy Gutmann, 1987

• Pick at least one:

  • “Should the Wealthy Benefit from Private-School Choice Programs?”, Bradford & Petrilli, 2024

  • “By the Wealthy, for the Wealthy: The Coordinated Attacks on Public Education in the United States”, Bernie Sanders, 2024

• Recommended:

  • “Public Goods, Private Goods: The American Struggle Over Educational Goals,”p. 1-5, David Labaree, 1997

Discussion Questions

• Which of  Berner’s arguments about educational pluralism resonate most with you? Why?

• What is the most persuasive counterargument against educational pluralism? 

• Share your “Educational Policy Beliefs” survey results with the group. Discuss points of agreements and areas of disagreement within your group. 

• What are the most important challenges and opportunities facing the family choice movement in the 2025-2026 school year? 

Deliverable 

Prior to your group’s call, please submit this form. The questions on this form will prompt you to reflect on your core educational beliefs. 

Readings

• Required: 

  • “What’s the Difference Between Vouchers and Education Savings Accounts,” Arianna Prothero, Education Week

  • “Education Savings Accounts,” The Policy Circle 

  • “What is a Tax Credit Scholarship,” EdChoice

  • 2025 ABCs of School Choice, p. 178-185, overview of state-by-state choice policies

• Optional:

  • ”What the Education Choice Movement Can Do Next: Personal-Use Tax Credits for K-12 Education,” Matt Ladner, 2024

  • “Conservatives Go to War - Against Each Other - Over School Vouchers,” Macgillis, 2024

  • “Research shows education savings accounts are being used precisely as intended,” Jonathan Butcher, reimaginED, 2021

Discussion Questions

• What are the primary differences between vouchers, ESAs, and tax credit scholarships?

• What family choice policy mechanism (voucher, ESA, TCS) would be most beneficial in your state/local context? Why?

• Which policy mechanism has the most current momentum? Will this trend continue? 

• Please complete the case study as a group.

Deliverable 

Complete this case study about which educational choice mechanism is best suited for Oklahaska.

Readings

• Required: 

  • “Oversight or overregulation? Debating school choice accountability,” Joshua Cowen, Brookings, 2017

  • “Strong Public Schools Need Strong Accountability Policy,” Anne Wicks & Robin Berkley, Bush Institute, 2025

  • “From State to Parent Accountability: A Continuum of Smart Options for Regulation and Oversight,” Patricia Levesque, Excel in Ed, 2024

• Pick at least one:

  • “Accountability and Private-School Choice,” Nicole Stelle Garnett, Manhattan Institute, 2021

  • “The Folly of Overregulating School Choice,” Jason Bedrick, Education Next, 2015

  • “Introducing a Framework for Private School voucher Accountability,” Weade James & Tanio Otero Martinez, Center for American Progress, 2025

• Recommended:

  • “Accountability Check” (excerpt from the 2021 AFC School Choice Guidebook)

Discussion Questions

• In Cowen's article, what are the most compelling arguments in both the "oversight" and "overregulation" sections? 

• Is the "accountability continuum" proposed by Levesque an appropriate stratification of oversight for schools? Would you amend her framework in any way?

• What are the main goals of accountability in a family choice program? To what end are programs being monitored, regulated, and assessed?

• Should accountability vary in rigor, consequences, and transparency between K-12 public and K-12 private schools? Why or why not?

Deliverable 

Determine the level of accountability that should be present in Reformia’s family choice policy in this case study. 

Readings

• Required: 

  • “Parental School Choice Victories are Worth Celebrating. Now Comes the Hard Part,” Nicole Stelle Garnett and Michael McShane, The 74, 2023

  • “Success of Educational Choice Laws Will Depend on Implementing Them with Excellence,” Robert Enlow, Education Next, 2023

• Optional: 

  • “Implementing K-12 Education Savings Accounts,” Nicole Stelle Garneete and Michael McShane, Manhattan Institute, 2023

  • “How to Implement a Private School Choice Program,” Ben DeGrow & Michael Chartier, ExcelinEd, 2023

Discussion Questions

• What role should teachers, school leaders, and system leaders play in choice implementation?

• What can policy makers do to make choice implementation easier and more effective? 

• Why is effective implementation important for the family choice movement? 

• What should  schools and other organizations do to assist implementation efforts in states? 

• How do different policy mechanisms increase or decrease the difficulty associated with choice implementation? 

Deliverable 

Complete this case study about effectively implementing educational choice.