Growing Popularity for School Choice Across the Country: Andrew Handel in Stateline
States are working to meet rising demand for newly expanded school choice initiatives.
Last week, Andrew Handel, Director of ALEC’s Education and Workforce Task Force, spoke with Stateline to discuss the school choice boom across the nation.
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“So far what we’ve really seen is legislatures looking to expand the programs,” said Andrew Handel, director of education and workforce development at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a membership group for conservative state lawmakers that has pushed for choice programs nationwide.
“The ESA [education savings account] is the gold standard. It’s the one that gives parents the most flexibility,” he said, referring to programs that allow parents to use the money for other education-related expenses in addition to tuition. “The best states are where the funding for those school choice programs is tied directly to their state education formula. That ensures that no matter how many families apply, you’re always going to have the money there.”
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