GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (April 17, 2025) — Since 2021, twelve states have authorized Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) as universal or near-universal vouchers to cover either tuition at minimally-regulated private schools or pods (mini-schools with children of like-minded parents); or costs associated with homeschooling, from books and online curricula to field trips and ancillary goods and services deemed essential. These ESAs make nearly all students eligible, regardless of family income.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (February 12, 2025) — The expansion of voucher programs, which provide tax-payer-financed subsidies for families enrolling students in private schools, has prompted a debate about their fiscal impact. A recent EdChoice report argues that these programs do not negatively affect public school finances and actually save tax-payers substantial sums of money. A new review explains how this argument rings hollow.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (January 28, 2025) — A recent Fordham Institute report argues that post-pandemic enrollment declines will inevitably force districts to make the controversial decision to close some schools. Embracing this possibility, the report provides dual criteria of substantial declines in enrollment and chronic low performance as indicators of which schools should be closed first, naming nearly 500 specific schools that meet the criteria.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN (December 3, 2024) — A recent Progressive Policy Institute report purports to examine the impact of charter schools on the achievement of students who remain enrolled in district-run public schools. Based on the data in the report, however, it shows only a weak relationship between the presence of charter schools and increases in achievement for all students, which contradicts the report’s claims, according to a new review.