The Bottom Line Landmark Educational Freedom Victory
2022 was extraordinary — the year universal school choice became a reality. Not long ago, statewide educational freedom was only a pipe dream.
The historic moment came when Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed the expansion of the Empowerment Scholarship Account into law, providing all 1.1 million students in Arizona with $7,000 of public funding that can be used for a wide variety of educational expenses. Now students are funded rather than a bureaucracy-bloated K-12 public education system.
The question is no longer: Is it possible? But rather: Which state is next?
On the cusp of the landmark legislative passage of the bill, Discovery Institute President Steve Buri and American Center for Transforming Education Director Keri Ingraham met with key leaders in Arizona. Those meetings in Arizona and other states during the year entailed significant conversations, strategy formation, and coalition efforts, all aimed at a single objective — transforming K-12 education for the sake of students, communities, and the future of our country.
Additionally, more than 30 articles authored by the ACTE team were published in national outlets, informing and persuading public opinion in favor of educational freedom and other significant education reform efforts.
Our influence in 2022 didn’t stop there. Director Keri Ingraham authored two chapters of the premier education reform policy book, Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda. The book has been put into the hands of governors and numerous other policymakers nationwide.
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Director Keri Ingraham also met with Governor Ducey to express gratitude for his transformational leadership in giving educational freedom to Arizona families.
The work is only getting started. Arizona has ushered in the new reality, but now it’s time to bring educational freedom to families in the other 49 states. The question is no longer: Is it possible? But rather: Which state is next?
To that end, we are actively engaging with other state leaders. Just days after the midterm elections, we met with Oklahoma’s newly elected State Superintendent Ryan Walters and reelected Governor Kevin Stitt. We will continue to press on until the battle for educational freedom is won for every family — nationwide.