Public Advocates for School Choice

Public Advocates for School Choice
Name	Public Advocates for School Choice
Type	Nonprofit advocacy group
Founded	1990s
Location	United States
Focus	School choice, education policy, charter schools, vouchers

Public Advocates for School Choice is an advocacy organization promoting alternatives to traditional public schools, including charter school expansion, school voucher programs, and education savings account models. It engages in policy research, lobbying, litigation support, and public campaigns to influence state and federal education policy debates. The organization connects with a network of think tanks, philanthropic foundations, and advocacy groups to advance legislative and electoral strategies across multiple states.

Overview

Public Advocates for School Choice operates at the intersection of state-level policymaking and national reform movements such as those associated with Bill Gates, The Ford Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, The Broad Foundation, and The Heritage Foundation. It coordinates with legal groups including Institute for Justice, American Legislative Exchange Council, and Alliance for School Choice while communicating with elected officials from the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. The group highlights models implemented in cities like New Orleans, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Denver and references policies enacted in states such as Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Ohio.

History and Development

The organization's origins trace to late-20th-century education reform coalitions that included figures and entities like Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, and policy centers such as American Enterprise Institute and Cato Institute. During the 1990s and 2000s, it aligned with charter advocacy efforts linked to leaders like Randi Weingarten opponents and supporters from Bill Bennett-era initiatives, and with legal strategies used by litigants in cases similar to Zelman v. Simmons-Harris and debates tied to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The group responded to federal initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act while engaging in campaigns concurrent with electoral efforts involving figures like Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, Betsy DeVos, and state governors including Jeb Bush and Scott Walker.

Key Organizations and Advocates

Public Advocates for School Choice collaborates with national and state organizations including KIPP, Success Academies, Democrats for Education Reform, Stand for Children, Teach For America, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and Education Reform Now. Legal and policy partners include the Goldwater Institute, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Pacific Legal Foundation, and state affiliates such as StudentsFirst chapters and local groups in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Detroit. Prominent advocates linked to the movement have included Tony Bennett (educator), Eva Moskowitz, Shavar Jeffries, Chester E. Finn Jr., Diane Ravitch (as a notable critic-turned-commentator), and philanthropists like Eli Broad and Peter Thiel who have funded alternative schooling initiatives.

Policy Arguments and Positions

The organization frames its advocacy using positions promoted by policy scholars and commentators from Brookings Institution, Manhattan Institute, and Reason Foundation, arguing that market-based mechanisms increase choice for families similarly to reforms supported by Adam Smith-influenced economists and Milton Friedman-inspired voucher proponents. It endorses legislative models resembling programs in Sweden (tuition voucher influence), Chile (voucher history), and domestic statutes such as Florida’s voucher expansions and Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account rules. The group frequently cites accountability frameworks used in No Child Left Behind Act and assessment practices advocated by researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, and Teachers College, Columbia University.

Implementation Models and Programs

Advocated models include charter networks exemplified by KIPP and Success Academies, voucher schemes like those in Milwaukee and Cleveland, and hybrid models such as education savings accounts piloted in Nevada and North Carolina. It supports funding mechanisms aligned with school finance reforms discussed in cases like San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez and state-level funding formulas debated in legislatures of Texas, California, and New Jersey. Programmatic partnerships extend to providers of alternative curricula and management such as Khan Academy collaborations, Summit Public Schools networks, and blended-learning platforms championed by investors like Sal Khan and organizations like Imagine Schools.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics from groups such as National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Schott Foundation, and Center for American Progress argue that the organization’s proposals undermine public institutions and exacerbate segregation patterns similar to concerns raised in analyses of Brown v. Board of Education aftermath and patterns documented by researchers at UCLA Civil Rights Project. Controversies include litigation over voucher constitutionality echoing issues in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer and disputes about privatization highlighted in works by Diane Ravitch and media coverage in outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

Impact and Outcomes Studies

Evaluations of programs the organization promotes draw on research methodologies used by scholars at National Bureau of Economic Research, RAND Corporation, and Mathematica Policy Research comparing student outcomes to benchmarks from Programme for International Student Assessment and national assessments by National Assessment of Educational Progress. Studies show mixed results across metrics such as standardized test gains, graduation rates, and college matriculation tracked by institutions like Brookings Institution and Harvard Kennedy School. Ongoing debates reference randomized controlled trials associated with School Choice Demonstration Project-style research and longitudinal studies modeled on work from MDRC and university research centers at University of Chicago and Harvard University.

Category:United States educational organizations