School Choice Regulations: Red Tape or Red Herring?
Basis partnered with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute to understand the extent to which regulations hinder private school choice initiatives.
Why our Work Matters
Thinking Critically About Policy
Understanding how regulation shapes school choice is critical for ensuring families have access to high-quality, diverse educational options without unnecessary barriers. Therefore, by clarifying which rules protect students and which add unnecessary red tape, our work helps policymakers design programs that are both accountable and responsive to community needs.
Our Role
Basis partnered with national stakeholders to rigorously catalog and analyze state-level regulations governing private school participation in choice programs. While translating complex legal requirements into clear, actionable insights, Basis equipped decision-makers with evidence they can use to refine policies and strengthen initiatives.
Statistics
Impact in Action
Far-Reaching Impact
The study examined choice regulations across 12 states, capturing a wide range of policy environments.
Understanding Regulations
Researchers identified more than 60 distinct regulatory requirements that affect private schools participating in choice programs.
Survey Scope
241 private schools participated in a survey about their region’s voucher programs and policy regulations.
Creating Opportunity
Ultimately, the overarching goal of private school choice programs is to give educational opportunities to underserved students and their families. However, actualizing this goal requires knowing what works – and what doesn’t. To understand how policies interact with outcomes, our descriptive analysis and survey-based approach was essential. Moreover, it matched real data insights with input from participating schools, programs, and families.