Expanding Education Freedom in Alabama: Andrew Handel on FM Talk 1065 (Birmingham)
Alabama ranked 11th in this year's report and showcased one of the biggest jumps among any of the states.
Andrew Handel, ALEC Education and Workforce Development Task Force Director, joined FM Talk 1065 with host Apryl Marie Fogel to discuss Alabama’s ranking in the newly published 2025 ALEC Index of State Education Freedom. In addition, the conversation focused on ways Alabama lawmakers could expand education freedom and school choice options in the state to improve their ranking even further.
Alabama ranked 11th in this year’s report, where previously it was 22nd. It jumped up 11, showcasing one of the biggest jumps among any of the states.
Open enrollment is something I’m hearing more and more about. I think, you know, lawmakers are starting to pay a little more attention to that, and there’s definitely a growing interest in breaking down these geographic barriers for school and letting parents have a little more flexibility.
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We’re all going to see a couple more states this year trying to do the same thing as Tennessee in getting a universal education freedom program in the door. It’s really exciting and Alabama was one of the leaders in passing such a program.