Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

New Education Ranking Reveals Significant Difference Among State Laws

  • 09/30/15

Of the 16 states that have education tax credit programs, only five earn grades of A or B on the second edition of School Choice Today: Education Tax Credit Laws Across the States, Ranking and Scorecard 2015 released today by The Center for Education Reform (CER). A majority of the states earn C’s, while three earn D’s and one earns an F. The report provides analysis and state-by-state comparisons, ranking states not only based on the law itself, but real results of programs.

“Over 200,000 students are benefiting from tax credit scholarships today,” said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform. “As the momentum for choice programs grows, with half of these 16 states enacting tax credit programs in the last three years, it’s essential to evaluate which elements foster the creation of meaningful choices to the most number of students. Simply having a law alone does not translate into more and better opportunities for children.”

The Education Tax credit Laws Across the States Ranking and Scorecard methodology has been revamped from last year’s analysis, placing greater emphasis on participation and implementation, and taking a deeper look at rules and regulations governing programs. There are four major components that determine the strength of high-quality education tax credit programs across the states:

  • Participation and purchasing power
  • Eligibility
  • Credit design
  • Operational autonomy

“States that implement tax credit programs well will see reductions in overall expenditures in addition to growth in investments in K-12 education,” continued Kerwin. “This fairly simple concept of allowing individuals, businesses, or both to claim a tax credit for contributions made to scholarship organizations provides big benefits, with the most important being a shift in the power to choose a school from bureaucrats to parents.”

“The goal of this ranking and analysis is to provide a roadmap for lawmakers, parents, and advocates to bring about substantive and lasting change,” said Kerwin. “We look forward to furthering debate and discourse to ensure laws being enacted are indeed fostering a marketplace where parents have the power to make choices among excellent options.”

The 2nd edition Education Tax Credit Laws Across the States, Ranking and Scorecard 2015 can be found online at edreform.com.

Featured

  • A digital silhouette works at a computer, immersed in a glowing, interconnected world

    How Will AI Transform Learning Space Design?

    For years, higher education has designed learning spaces around technology as a tool for display, capture, collaboration, and connectivity. AI changes that equation.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • New City School

    Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Transforming New City School

    When New City School in St. Louis suffered catastrophic flood damage in July 2022, the event could have marked a serious setback for the 100-year-old institution. Instead, it became a forward-looking opportunity.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.