‘Trojan Horse’ or ‘Freedom to Choose’? Political Tensions and Tradeoffs in Homeschooling and Education Savings Accounts

• In Event: Factors That Influence Today's Homeschool Participation

Abstract

 School choice in the United States is undergoing a rapid transformation as states increasingly enact Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Unlike earlier vouchers, which subsidized private school tuition, ESA funds can be used for nearly any purported educational expense, including homeschooling and a burgeoning ecosystem of micro- and virtual schools. As of this writing, at least 14 of 21 ESA programs across 18 states extend (or plan to extend) eligibility to homeschool students,1 who were excluded from previous private choice programs. The shift to ESAs, then, expands public subsidies to homeschooling and related alternatives in unprecedented ways. However, the extent to which these families and their homeschool networks will accept the tradeoff these funds often present—namely, public oversight in exchange for public money— is unclear, and is a gap our work begins to close. Homeschool advocacy groups, such as the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), have historically opposed public funds for at-home education, for fear that such subsidies inexorably lead to government involvement that would curtail their independence in a historically unregulated environment. Indeed, roughly 80% (17 of 21) of state ESA programs currently impose some form of testing requirement in exchange for funds,3 an even greater percentage than existing voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs. Despite considerable flexibility in the choice of assessment and few, if any, consequences for student test results, such mandates have historically drawn fierce opposition from homeschoolers, which led to their rejection of earlier choice schemes.

This tension between expanding the uptake of publicly-funded universal choice programs and public accountability requirements governing these funds is poised to define debates surrounding ESA expansion as well as the design and implementation of these programs. State lawmakers have already begun proposing legislation addressing accountability for ESAs and other existing private choice programs. In 2023 alone, Democrats in at least four states “introduced a combined 10 bills that attempt to increase reporting requirements,” many of which addressed testing and accountability requirements.5 Such political conflicts over program design and public oversight appear likely to escalate to the national stage, as President Trump and Republican majorities in Congress consider a federal universal choice bill. In this rapidly-evolving context, then, this paper addresses the following questions: ● How have homeschool families and alternative at-home education providers responded to the expansion of public funds through state ESAs? ● How do tensions between homeschool families over ESA eligibility and accountability requirements influence the politics of choice and/or program design?

Author

• Trevor William Baisden, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author