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As a mom with three children who have autism, Ashley Pihlman has spent the past 10 years on a frustrating search for doctors, therapists and schools to provide the structure and support they need. 

Her youngest two attend the Mesa Public Schools, Arizona鈥檚 largest district. But public school wasn鈥檛 a good fit for Kain, who at nearly 11 still doesn鈥檛 speak. He needs constant supervision and requires help with tasks like handwashing and opening snacks.

The state鈥檚 education savings account, held up among conservatives, allows Pihlman to spend state funds on private school tuition or homeschooling costs. But that program didn鈥檛 work for her either. Schools that accept the ESA only offered to put him on a waitlist. For now, they鈥檙e homeschooling.

鈥淗e’s not aggressive. He’s not violent. He just has high support needs,鈥� she said. She used ESA funds for a music therapy program, but her husband had to attend class with him in case Kain tried to leave or needed to use the bathroom. 鈥淭hey tried their best to work with him, but they weren鈥檛 able to accommodate his needs.鈥�

For parents like Pihlman, school choice hasn鈥檛 lived up to its promise as an alternative to traditional classrooms. With states like and aiming to pass voucher programs next year 鈥� and President-elect Donald Trump vowing to nationalize 鈥� a from the Center for Reinventing Public Education focuses on the families that choice has left behind. Confusing admission policies, transportation challenges and inadequate supply means that minority students, kids from low-income families and those with disabilities often miss out. 

鈥淵ou can’t use choice as a solution to the quality problem,鈥� said Ashley Jochim, the author of the study and a principal at CRPE, a think tank. 鈥淧olicymakers should make it so there aren’t any really bad choices. That’s priority number one.鈥�

Jochim examined more than 30 years of research on the competitive education landscape, from district lotteries to education savings accounts, with an eye toward challenges faced by families trying to access such programs. 

She points to Milwaukee as an example of the limitations of market-based education. Home to the nation鈥檚 first private school voucher program, launched in 1990, the city has a reputation for 鈥渞obust competition鈥� between the public, private and charter sectors. But involving charter operators and a among private schools participating in its voucher program has sent families scrambling for other options. In a separate, forthcoming paper for Education Next, Jochim notes that between 1990 and last school year, 41% of the private schools participating permanently closed.

Overall, she said, Milwaukee families are left with a system of schools that is 鈥渜uite middling.鈥� 

A from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, a think tank, echoed that assessment. It shows that the city鈥檚 Black students are the least likely to attend high-performing schools. Almost three-quarters of Black students in grades three through eight, in both district and charter schools, score below grade level in math, compared with 29% of white students and 59% of Hispanic students. 

But national data tells a more promising story. A from Stanford University鈥檚 Center for Research on Education Outcomes concluded that on average, charter students 鈥� including Black, Hispanic and poor students 鈥� perform better than their peers in traditional schools. 

To Karega Rausch, the president and CEO of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, CRPE鈥檚 report means two things can be true at the same time: Charters have improved outcomes for poor and minority students and there are still 鈥渞eal barriers鈥� to increasing the number of high-quality schools. 

A meant to encourage innovative school models and efforts to extend credit to Colorado charters waiting on federal grant funds are examples of policies that can help meet the demand, he said. 

鈥楬igh-cost mistakes鈥�

But the momentum building around private school choice demonstrates that parents can sometimes get lost in an abundance of options, Jochim wrote.

Florida, for example, added 1,700 private schools to its voucher program between 2010 and 2020, and Arizona families using an ESA can choose from thousands of , including private schools, tutors, and sports or arts programs. 

鈥淣avigating this rapidly evolving landscape without reliable information increases the risks that families will make high-cost mistakes,鈥� Jochim wrote. 鈥淭he search for a 鈥榞ood鈥� school can be time consuming, and when the chosen school disappoints, families must begin their search again.鈥�

Families whose children have disabilities often end up in a 鈥渉olding pattern,鈥� said Lauren Morando Rhim, executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, which focuses on ensuring that students with disabilities receive needed services from charters.

鈥淚’ve spoken to parents who said 鈥業 tried a district school and they couldn’t serve my child. I tried a charter 鈥� they couldn’t serve my child,鈥� 鈥� she said. Out of 鈥渄esperation,鈥� they sometimes turn to an ESA-funded private school, but that often means their children won鈥檛 be able to interact with non-disabled peers. 鈥淭hey say, 鈥業’m not happy about it, but it’s the least bad option right now.鈥� 鈥�

Jochim supports choice 鈥渁s a means to introduce some competition and improve all schools,鈥� but thinks that for its most passionate advocates, it has become 鈥渁 value unto itself.鈥� She recommends that states collect data on students who exit school choice programs to get a fuller understanding of what is driving turnover. 

She also urges policymakers and foundations to fund what school choice experts call 鈥渘avigators鈥� 鈥攖hose who can help families evaluate options, stay ahead of key deadlines and go into the process more informed. 

鈥楶eople trust people鈥�

That鈥檚 the work that Colleen Dippel, of Houston-based Families Empowered, has been doing for 15 years. Even with public school choice, she said parents remain confused about how lotteries and magnet schools work. And with Texas likely to pass a voucher bill next year, families are looking at even more options. 

With ESAs also come multimillion-dollar state contracts for payment systems, websites and online vendors marketing supplies and curriculum. Dippel said that parents benefit from having someone to field their questions.

鈥淲e have underinvested in people in the school choice space and overinvested in technology,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople trust people, not institutions.鈥�

Funded largely by donations, Families Empowered is neutral about which models work best, she said, and might steer a family toward a traditional school if its a better fit. She once lost a funder because she wouldn鈥檛 agree to direct families to IDEA Public Schools, a large charter network with over 100 schools in Texas. 

She also hopes that Texas learns from other states about how to ensure families can use the programs without having to spend their own money and wait for reimbursement. 

鈥淭hat would be very concerning for us,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e believe that’s a barrier that does not need to be in place for low-income families.鈥�

Families using ESAs often wait months to get paid back or say they have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to get . In Arizona, Pihlman uses an ESA debit card to buy books, Legos, puzzles and other supplies for Kain, who is just beginning to write. But she worries that months later, state officials will deny a purchase and she鈥檒l have to pay it back.

Some ESA proponents argue those obstacles aren鈥檛 a mark against school choice 鈥� just evidence of birthing pains as states explore new options. 

During the pandemic, Kevin Gemeroy relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, from Seattle, where in-person school wasn鈥檛 an option. He uses the state鈥檚 ESA program to send his oldest son, a bright student with dyslexia, to a private school, but is considering public school for his youngest. 

鈥淗aving a system where you can choose between public school, private school, homeschool, religious school 鈥� and be able to use your lifetime of education tax dollars 鈥� is a huge advantage,鈥� he said. 鈥淛ust because some people have problems using the resources available or some people are abusing them doesn’t mean that the other 98% of people that aren’t should have their options limited.鈥澛�

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