WASHINGTON, DC — TheCenter for Education Reform (CER) released its 2017 Parent Power! Index (PPI), the nation’s foremost study of a parent’s ability to exercise educational options for their children.
The Index scores each state, along with the District of Columbia, from 0-100. This year’s leaders are Florida, Indiana, and Arizona, while those with the least parent power are North Dakota, Nebraska, and Alaska.
“When it comes to the education of their kids, every parent deserves robust opportunities to control the education of their youth, and access to full transparency of information to allow them to be informed consumers,” said Jeanne Allen, the founder and chief executive of the Center for Education Reform. “Every state should want to score an A on the Parent Power! Index.”
The Index gives parents an interactive tool to discover whether their state affords them due power — and, if not, what they can do to get it. Similarly, the Index helps legislators and policymakers understand how their state stacks up nationally, and how to improve their ranking.
Among the Index’s findings this year are these disappointing statistics:
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Only 1 in 3 states offer a significant number of charter-school opportunities.
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Only half of all states provide parents the opportunity to choose a school for their children.
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Less than half of all states fail to make their education data transparent and accessible.
For more information visit edreform.com.
State Spotlight :
Highest-Performing:
#1 Florida—89.2%
#2 Indiana—89.1%
#3 Arizona—89.0%
Arizona scores third on the Parent Power! Index. The state affords parents a number of broad opportunities to make choices, including, one of the nation’s strongest charter-school laws. Parents can easily find information about all education opportunities, vote for school-board members during general elections, and have easy access to report cards.
Score breakdown:
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School Choice: 95%
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Charter Schools: 92%
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Online Learning: 78%
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Teacher Quality: 72%
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Transparency: 80%
