By Kathryn Hickok
This week parents, educators, and students nationwide are celebrating National School Choice Week, an annual event highlighting education options available to K-12 children today. School choice means empowering parents to choose the educational environments that will best help their children succeed. To really improve academic outcomes in Oregon, families must be able to send their children to schools that meet their learning needs.
Here are three ways Oregon leaders can expand educational opportunity during the 2025 Legislative Session, now underway in Salem:
- Raise the cap on virtual charter school enrollment so successful charter schools can serve more students. Currently, school districts may prevent students from enrolling in virtual charter schools if three percent of the district’s students are already enrolled in a virtual charter school sponsored by another district.
- Expand public school transfer policies so students can attend different public schools with open seats. This would help district schools respond to students’ needs and reward those that achieve better outcomes.
- Enact an Education Savings Account (ESA) program so students choosing to opt in can use their state-level, per-pupil education funds where they learn best. 17 states currently have ESA programs.
When parents have choices, students have better opportunities to learn, grow, and reach their potential. Oregon education policies should expand students’ options, so all children can have an effective, meaningful, and empowering school experience.
Kathryn Hickok is Executive Vice President at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research organization, and Director of Cascade’s Children’s Scholarship Fund-Oregon program.
