Parental Choice in Education: How Missouri Compares With Florida

Watching this video about the Florida School Choice Parent Resource Center, I marveled at the many options available to Florida families:

Some of the educational choices that exist in Florida are notably absent in Missouri. For example, Florida students with disabilities may choose between different public schools or receive scholarships to attend private schools. Tax credits drive a separate scholarship program for students from low-income families; these students also have the option to receive tutoring, which is provided by private companies through contracts with school districts. Florida’s public school system boasts multiple virtual schools. And Florida does not constrain its charter schools to a few cities, as Missouri does; they’re spread out across dozens of counties.

Even more remarkable is the view expressed in the video that parents should research different schools and decide which would be best for their children. Missouri doesn’t need to import all of Florida’s parental choice programs and establish all of the same scholarships. It would be enough to adopt the perspective that choice in education is every parent’s right. Choice shouldn’t be seen as a last-ditch response to failure.