Virginia’s School Choice Policies Contrast with District of Columbia

American Legislator ^ | 11-3-14 | Rudy Takala

[ThethoughtsofGreg]

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) last week released its annual Report Card on American Education, where it grades states’ education policy based on six areas: state academic standards, charter school laws, home-school regulations, private school choice programs, overall teacher quality and policies and digital learning opportunities. Interestingly, states sharing the same border often receive very different rankings.

For example, Virginia education policies ranked very differently from neighboring Washington, D.C. Virginia received a cumulative “C-” while the District received a cumulative “B-”. Notably, the District provides families greater flexibility with more than 100 charter locations serving nearly 40,000 students, or 43 percent of D.C.’s public school population in the 2012-13 school year. More than 20,000 students are on waiting lists to attend a D.C. charter school—a staggering comparison to the state of Virginia, where six charter schools educate only 700 students.