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Teaching 'Mockingbird' on the education frontier
Christian microschools are booming in Arizona, as parents use ESAs to fund the school of their choice. Chandler Fritz taught a summer reading class.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 223 min read
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What do parents want? Public schools are competing for students
Public schools don't have a monopoly any more. Parents are using taxpayer-funded school choice to find alternatives.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 63 min read
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Who benefits from universal choice? Mostly families with kids already in private school
Arizona's universal choice program mostly benefits middle- and upper-middle-class families who already had children in private school.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 16, 20242 min read
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How AZ parents spend ESAs: Specialty schools, private schools -- and karate lessons!
How are Arizona parents spending Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) money? They're paying for educational products and services,...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 10, 20232 min read
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Church, state and public school: Is the wall crumbling?
An Oklahoma board rejected a proposed Catholic charter school, citing the need for clarification on how a tax-funded Catholic school...

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 18, 20232 min read
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Do parents know best? ESAs go for robots, rabbits, roping lessons
If a homeschooled child learns to code a toy robot, care for a pet rabbit or take cowboy roping lessons, is that an educational expense?...

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 8, 20233 min read
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Funding follows students to religious school, if that's parents' choice
Empowered with a $7,000-per-child "backpack of cash," Arizona parents can choose an educational program -- including a religious private...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 27, 20232 min read
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ESAs expand in red and purple states, states, and blue-staters are interested too
"Capitalizing on parent’s frustration with public schools during the pandemic," Republican governors are pushing for education savings...

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20232 min read
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School choice withstands challenge in Arizona
A campaign to repeal Arizona's expansion of school choice apparently has failed to gather enough signatures to go on the ballot. Arizona...

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 28, 20222 min read
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