Alabama Education Policy Primer
Ch. 9: School Choice
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Overview
In 1962, economist Milton Friedman asserted that introducing school
choice in the public school system would encourage competition,
flexibility, efficient spending and diversity, which would in turn
spur improvement in public schools. States across the nation have
since explored various forms of school choice to expand available
school options for students, including magnet programs, charter
schools, tax credits and vouchers. Forty years after Friedman’s
initial work on school choice, the federal No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) Act of 2001 increased opportunities for choice in public
schools by providing transfer options to students in failing schools
that receive Title I funds (for more information on the titles involved
in NCLB funding, please see Chapter 7 on No Child
Left Behind). In Alabama, school choice remains a part of education
reform discussions, although it has never received critical attention
in legislative sessions due in large part to organized political
resistance. For example, while many of the Southern states have
enacted charter school legislation, there have been no organized
efforts to pass such legislation in Alabama. The Alabama Education
Association, a strong political force in Alabama, has voiced opposition
to the introduction of charter school legislation in Alabama.
This chapter will provide an overview on school choice options.
At the conclusion of this section, Figure 9:1 presents information
on school choice options in the 16 states of the Southern Regional
Education Board (SREB). This table allows comparisons to be made
between school choice options in Alabama and other regional peer
states.
