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Who's Afraid of School Choice? Examining the Intensity of Anti-School Choice Rhetoric. Second Edition

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Who's Afraid of School Choice? Examining the Intensity of Anti-School Choice Rhetoric. Second Edition
Language: English
Authors: Jason Bedrick, Ed Tarnowski, EdChoice
Source: EdChoice. 2025.
Availability: EdChoice. 111 Monument Circle Suite 2650, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-681-0745; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: School Choice, Educational Policy, Barriers, Educational Legislation, Public Schools, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Finance, Rhetoric, State Policy, Educational Vouchers, Public Opinion, Private Schools, Tax Credits
Geographic Terms: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah
Abstract: Opponents of education choice recycle the same false prophesies of doom without regard to the evidence or the size and scope of the proposals. For decades, the most common objection to education choice policies has been that they will "destroy public education." According to the critics, choice policies will induce the parents most interested in education to leave the district school system, leading to significant financial losses and declining academic performance. These predictions of financial and academic disaster have not materialized, however. In states with the oldest and largest education choice programs, inflation-adjusted per-pupil funding has increased, and the average performance of district schools is at least as good as it was when the choice policies were first enacted. Indeed, the overwhelming conclusion of the research literature is that education choice policies have modest but statistically significant positive effects on district school performance. The first iteration of this report explored whether the intensity of choice opponents' rhetoric varied based on the size and scope of the choice proposal at hand. After analyzing the rhetoric during debates over the education choice legislation enacted in five states in 2021, the authors concluded that choice opponents' pessimistic predictions did not vary in intensity based on the size or scope of the proposal. Whether the proposals were modest or expansive, the rhetorical intensity of school choice opponents was about the same. This follow-up report extends that analysis by analyzing the rhetoric used during debates over the education choice legislation enacted in eight states--Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah--in 2023 and 2024. The authors again conclude that choice opponents' rhetorical intensity did not vary based on the size or scope of the proposal.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED672454
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:Opponents of education choice recycle the same false prophesies of doom without regard to the evidence or the size and scope of the proposals. For decades, the most common objection to education choice policies has been that they will "destroy public education." According to the critics, choice policies will induce the parents most interested in education to leave the district school system, leading to significant financial losses and declining academic performance. These predictions of financial and academic disaster have not materialized, however. In states with the oldest and largest education choice programs, inflation-adjusted per-pupil funding has increased, and the average performance of district schools is at least as good as it was when the choice policies were first enacted. Indeed, the overwhelming conclusion of the research literature is that education choice policies have modest but statistically significant positive effects on district school performance. The first iteration of this report explored whether the intensity of choice opponents' rhetoric varied based on the size and scope of the choice proposal at hand. After analyzing the rhetoric during debates over the education choice legislation enacted in five states in 2021, the authors concluded that choice opponents' pessimistic predictions did not vary in intensity based on the size or scope of the proposal. Whether the proposals were modest or expansive, the rhetorical intensity of school choice opponents was about the same. This follow-up report extends that analysis by analyzing the rhetoric used during debates over the education choice legislation enacted in eight states--Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah--in 2023 and 2024. The authors again conclude that choice opponents' rhetorical intensity did not vary based on the size or scope of the proposal.