School Choice: Policy Developments and National Participation Estimates in 2007-2008. Backgrounder. No. 2102 [with Executive Summary]

School choice improves parents' satisfaction with their children's schools, and public schools that face competition have shown improved performance, yet opponents continue to oppose reforms that give parents the opportunity to choose their children's schools. State and federal policymakers should reform existing education policies to give all families the opportunity to choose the best schools for their children. Specifically, Congress should: (1) expand parental choice in the District of Columbia where Congress has oversight authority over the local public school system by reauthorizing the D.C. Choice Incentive Act of 2003; (2) expand Coverdell Education Savings Accounts to give families greater ability to save for and pay for their children's K-12 education costs to ensure that they receive a quality education; and (3) reform No Child Left Behind to restore greater state and local control in education and to restore parental choice. State policymakers should: (1) enact education reforms that give families greater school choice options; (2) expand parental choice within the public education system; and (3) expand education savings options for families. Included in this report is a state-by-state overview of private school choice programs that are available. (Contains 82 footnotes.)