It’s National School Choice Week, and it is a good time to take stock of how educational options have expanded for families in Alabama in recent years.
For generations, traditional public schools have been the go-to option for most families, and these schools have done a good job for many students. I attended public schools as a child in Virginia. So did my brother, both of my parents, and practically everyone I knew. I support public schools.
But fit matters. Every child is different, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all school. As such, having a range of educational options creates the best opportunity to ensure that every child has their unique needs met.
In traditional public school districts, the state has funded three specialty public high schools. These include a fine arts-themed school in Birmingham, a math and science-themed school in Mobile, and a cyber technology and engineering-themed school in Huntsville. A fourth school focused on healthcare will open in Demopolis this fall.
Charter schools have also expanded in the state. Charter schools are public schools of choice. Most of Alabama’s charters are located in the metropolitan areas of Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery, and several are themed schools. There are currently 19 charter schools in operation serving more than 8,000 students. Roughly 2,000 students are on charter school waitlists.
Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, located in Bessemer, offers students the opportunity to complete pre-apprenticeship programs in aerospace and aviation careers prior to high school graduation. Floretta P. Carson Visual and Performing Arts Academy, located in Mobile, is a college-preparatory school steeped in the arts. Ivy Classical Academy in Prattville offers students a classical liberal arts education.
Two rural charter schools located in the Black Belt represent intentional efforts to build meaningfully diverse schools in a region long shaped by segregation. University Charter School in Sumter County and Breakthrough Charter School in Perry County represent the first two fully integrated schools in that region of the state.
Finally, the CHOOSE Act has expanded access to private schooling and homeschooling. Families who earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level are eligible to apply for an educational savings account scholarship of $7,000 per child to apply towards private school tuition. Homeschool families can access up to $4,000 to help cover the costs associated with their children’s education.
This has led to the establishment of microschools, which typically have small enrollments and offer in-person instruction fewer than five full days a week. One example is MARS, located in Huntsville, which stands for microcollective of AI, robotics, and the sciences. They incorporate artificial intelligence into all aspects of student learning.
Critics argue that the CHOOSE Act provides money to families that are middle-class or better. However, as I’ve written in these pages before, the law prioritizes students with special needs and military families first, and then the rest of the funding goes to families who need it most. This is the program’s inaugural year, and it currently serves more than 23,000 students.
The point isn’t to champion one sector over another – rather, it is to widen the set of good fits for kids. Across all sectors – traditional public, charter, private, and homeschool – there is much to celebrate. The growth of options creates a chance to share effective practices across school settings for the benefit of all students.
National School Choice Week is a reminder to celebrate the progress that has been made and to keep building an Alabama where a child’s options aren’t limited by their address.
David T. Marshall is an associate professor of educational research at Auburn University. He is the former chair of the Alabama Public Charter School Commission.