ERIC Number: ED591348
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Feb
Pages: 36
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Personalizing Education: How Florida Families Use Education Savings Accounts
Burke, Lindsey; Bedrick, Jason
EdChoice
In 2014, Florida became the second state to enact education savings accounts (ESAs), a relatively new form of educational choice that empowers families to utilize state funding to customize K-12 schooling options beyond just private school tuition, which is all that's allowable under a more traditional voucher program. Now called the Gardiner Scholarship, the parents of more than 10,000 children with special needs throughout Florida used an ESA to tailor their children's education to meet their unique learning needs during the 2017-18 school year. This study examines how parents in Florida used their ESA funds during the first two school years of the program using data from Step Up for Students, which issued 99 percent of the ESAs during the 2014-15 school year and 95 percent of the ESAs during the 2015-16 school year. It also compares customization rates in Florida with those in Arizona, which in 2011 became the first state to establish ESAs. Families in Florida are fully embracing the customization afforded to them through the flexible Gardiner Scholarship ESA option. As ESAs expand in states across the country, the ways in which parents use these innovative accounts suggest more strongly than ever that a one-size-fits-all approach to schooling fits only some.
Descriptors: Money Management, Parents, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Finance, Special Needs Students, Student Needs, Access to Education, School Choice, Tuition, Eligibility, Disabilities, Scholarships, Student Financial Aid
EdChoice. 111 Monument Circle Suite 2650, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Tel: 317-681-0745; e-mail: info@edchoice.org; Web site: http://www.edchoice.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: EdChoice
Identifiers - Location: Florida; Arizona
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A