New Report Ranks Nation's 21 School Choice Programs Grades Programs Against Milton Friedman's Gold Standard of Choice for All

Indianapolis, IN (February 12, 2008) - A new report by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, "Grading School Choice: Evaluating School Choice Programs by the Friedman Gold Standard," grades the nation's 21 existing school choice programs based on how well they live up to the standard of providing school choice for all.

   At the head of the class is Florida's McKay voucher program which earned top marks for providing options to the state's special needs students. The other top graded programs were in Georgia, Arizona, Vermont, Ohio and Maine. Minnesota's personal tax deduction & credit received the lowest grade.

   The Friedman Foundation's grading system is based on the following criteria:

   Solid Purchasing Power. Programs that provide students with purchasing power comparable to the resources available to the public school system are graded better than those providing only a little money to help students seek educational services outside the public system.

   Minimal Student Restrictions. Programs that extend school choice to all students are graded better than those that discriminate on the basis of income, residence, disability or other factors.

   Minimal School Restrictions. Programs that make it easier for schools to participate, without imposing unreasonable regulations and restrictions, are graded better than those that limit school options.

   "This report is a benchmark by which legislators and advocates can judge their proposed legislation and re-examine their existing programs in order to provide the broadest access and opportunities to students and families in their states," said Robert Enlow, the Friedman Foundation's Executive Director and Chief of Operations.

   "We want to reaffirm our commitment to the gold standard of educational freedom established by Milton Friedman. We support school choice for all, not just for some, and it's our job to constantly remind the country of the need for the most basic American freedom of universal choice in schooling."

   This second edition of the report also illustrates some simple reforms that would dramatically raise the grades of some programs. It notes the large number of programs that have been expanded since the first edition of the report was published in 2004. For example, the Milwaukee voucher program saw its enrollment cap raised from about 15,000 to 22,500 students; and eligibility for Ohio's EdChoice voucher program was expanded from about 20,000 to over 93,500 students.

2008 School Choice Program Rankings:

1
Florida McKay

2
Georgia Special Needs Vouchers

3
Arizona Personal Tax-Credit Scholarships

4
Vermont Town Tuitioning

5
Arizona Foster Child Vouchers

6
Ohio Autism Vouchers

7
Maine Town Tuitioning

8
Ohio EdChoice Vouchers

9
Illinois Personal Tax Credit

10
Florida Tax-Credit Scholarships

11
Utah Carson Smith Vouchers

12
Washington D.C. Vouchers

13
Iowa Personal Tax Credit

14
Arizona Corporate Tax-Credit Scholarships

15
Arizona Disabled Student Vouchers

16
Pennsylvania Tax-Credit Scholarships

17
Cleveland Vouchers

18
Iowa Tax-Credit Scholarships

19
Milwaukee Vouchers

20
Rhode Island Tax-Credit Scholarships

21
Minnesota Personal Tax Deduction & Credit

For a full copy of "Grading School Choice" as well as information about other Friedman Foundation events and publications, please visit the Friedman Foundation's web site at www.friedmanfoundation.org or call Ashlee Wilson Fujawa at 317-681-0745.