The current debate over ESAs in Texas has brought irresponsible claims about the Edgewood Horizon program back to life. A voucher program funded by philanthropists, Edgewood Horizon made all Edgewood Independent School District students (located within San Antonio) eligible to receive a voucher to allay private school expenses. The Horizon program ran from 1998 to 2007, peaking at approximately 16% of Edgewood’s enrollment. Research on choice programs consistently finds positive competitive effects when districts are exposed to competition; as the ability of district students to exit to other options increases, so too do district scores. Choice opponents have been claiming Edgewood as a cautionary tale, but the available evidence demonstrates that Edgewood ISDs academic performance and financial trends were consistent with the research findings on the impact of choice.

Texas choice opponents of 2025, like Jurassic Park scientists, have cloned previous claims about this old program, and set them loose in the current debate. A recent San Antonio media report revisited the claims of Horizon program opponents Diana Herrera and Aurelio Montemayor:

“‘There’s like 1,000 school districts … and out of every school district in the state of Texas, Edgewood was the one selected. And once again, we had zero low-performing schools,'” (Herrera) said. “'So why did they come to Edgewood? The word was because they wanted to destroy us.’”

Herrera remembers the district cutting resources, expanding class sizes by combining smaller classes and cutting positions as the program expanded.

Students from all 23 campuses used vouchers, according to Montemayor, an educational specialist for IDRA, which opposes voucher programs.

“’What was happening at Edgewood was very painful,’ Montemayor said. ‘You had larger classes and they couldn’t shut down a school or hire more teachers. It was very difficult.’”

Was the Edgewood Independent School District destroyed, or for that matter visibly damaged? The Texas Education Agency keeps extensive academic and financial records on school districts. In 1997-98 the Edgewood Independent School District spent $85,695,522. By 2008 this total expenditure had not declined but rather had increased to $95,093,331.  Spending per pupil went from $6,060 to $9,039 during the same period. Average teacher salaries increased from $32,753 to $48,742 during the same period. By the end of the Horizon program, Edgewood ISD total expenditures stood at an all-time high and per pupil funding exceeded the statewide average.

Consistent with decades of research results, Edgewood ISD’s academic results also improved during the Horizon period. In 1997 55.1% of Edgewood ISD students taking state accountability exams passed all exams, compared to a statewide average of 73.2 percent. By 2008 this had increased to 57% of Edgewood students compared to a statewide average of 72% statewide. Far from falling apart academically, Edgewood narrowed the achievement gap with the state. Far from “destroying” Edgewood ISD the available evidence shows that district academic performance improved, and the district spent more rather than less money.

Unfortunately, the Horizon program ended in 2007, and the recent academic results of the Edgewood ISD do not indicate that the incremental academic progress was sustained after the conclusion of the program. In 2023-24 Edgewood students had one half the rate of meeting or exceeding grade level compared to the statewide average. The cautionary tale from the Edgewood experience is what happens when students lack an exit option, not when they actually hold one.

WINTER PARK, Fla.  – The piano stood silent in the corner of the empty gymnasium until Riccardo Cerutti sat on the bench, lifted the key lid, and played the opening notes of Billy Joel’s signature song, “Piano Man.”

“That’s me,” Riccardo said, “Piano Man.”

He moved on to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the 1975 rock ‘n’ roll anthem by the band Queen, and Riccardo’s favorite song.

The impromptu concert ended abruptly when the students of Highlands Latin School, a PreK-8 private school that shares the building with Chesterton Academy of Orlando, Riccardo’s high school, filed into the gym for afternoon dismissal. The piano couldn’t compete with the chorus of excited voices waiting for their ride to arrive in the pickup line.

Besides, Riccardo had to get ready for basketball practice.

Piano and basketball are just two of Riccardo’s many interests. There’s also poetry, songwriting, origami, karate (he’s a black belt), reading (science fiction, philosophy, and the classics), and learning.

Especially learning.

Riccardo, a junior, has been a top student since arriving in the middle of his freshman year at Chesterton Academy, a small private high school north of Orlando that is rooted in Catholic values. He’s earned a 4.0 GPA each semester while acing regional and national tests. Riccardo was recognized as a “National Scholar” because of his score on the CLT10, an online college preparatory exam, which made him one of the top 50 students in the nation

“He is the kind of student you dream of teaching,” said Michael DeSalvo, who teaches theology and philosophy. “You can't hyperbolize enough here.”

Riccardo, 16, and his sister Sara, a freshman, attend Chesterton Academy with the help of the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options managed by Step Up For Students.

Born in the Netherlands to parents who are from Italy, Riccardo moved to central Florida with his family when he was 7. He attended his district school for two years before his parents, Stefano and Serena, decided on homeschooling. But when it was time for high school, they wanted their son to experience a more traditional learning environment.

“We believe that homeschooling is great for all grades, except in high school,” Stefano said. “You really need to have a group of other students with whom you are actually studying together, because at that stage, the education really demands intensive discussion on the materials that they're studying.

“Literature is not just reading. It’s discussing what you just read.”

Riccardo’s parents also wanted him to attend a school that would help grow his faith.

“We read about the aim of Chesterton Academy. We share their goals,” Serena said. “And we know one of the founders of this particular school. We felt it was the best option for our kids.”

The scholarship helps pay for the tuition at Chesterton Academy.

“Well, obviously, it's a very good thing and not only for us, but for anyone who wants to actively be engaged in the education of their kids … So, it's good for everybody to have this possibility,” Stefano said.

He said he wasn’t unhappy with the district school his children first attended; it just didn’t meet his standard for education.

“And that’s why we started homeschooling,” he said.

Although Riccardo initially hesitated to leave the homeschool setting, which is why he didn’t enroll until mid-freshman year, he is glad he made the move.

“I've made the best friends that I've ever had in my life here,” he said. “I really feel like I found the right people here, and I feel like I've – maybe this will sound selfish – but I've really gotten the chance to be appreciated.”

At Chesterton, Riccardo found a group of classmates who shared his values and interests. He is the co-captain of the basketball team. He formed a rock band with five other students. He plays the piano, co-writes the songs, and provides backup vocals.

“It's fun to play, compose, improvise, interpret, just listen to,” he said. “You know, play with friends, compose with friends.”

Riccardo has been taking piano lessons for six years. He recently received the highest-scorer award for piano performance level 7 in the Florida/Georgia area. Influenced by Queen, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and classical music, he’s composed more than 50 pieces, some instrumental, some with vocals. His song, “The Loser,” about a teenager who constantly makes excuses for his shortcomings, brought down the house last year at Chesterton Academy’s annual talent show.

“Board games, card games

every type of game

It’s just the same

You pour your heart and soul in it

You get all fired up

Then the timer’s up

And your anger flares

‘Cause it’s so unfair

And you act like it’s the end of the world.”

“I wrote 'The Loser' based on my personal experience of being a sore loser,” Riccardo said. “I was frustrated with myself, ruining fun games with friends by getting so upset. The song was my way of expressing that. Even though it's in second person, it's really about me.”

Listen to a demo of "The Loser" as well as other demos written and performed by Riccardo.

Chesterton is divided into four houses, each named after a saint. Riccardo is the prefect of House Augustine. He composed the music to the house’s alma mater and co-wrote the lyrics with another student.

DeSalvo is the house mentor, and Riccardo said the alma mater captured DeSalvo’s vision for the house.

“Set the example. Do things first. Be innovative. Think of new things to do and be the reason why everybody's doing it,” Riccardo said.

That is in sync with Stefano’s goal for his children: Exceed expectations.

“Don't settle for the minimum that’s required,” Stefano said. “Aim for the best you are capable of.”

That’s not hard for Riccardo. His appetite for learning is insatiable.

“I would say it's not just love of learning and knowledge, although that certainly plays into it. It’s just wanting to know more about the world,” Riccardo said. “I would say it's just a desire to do things well.

“Even if there's a class that I don't particularly like that I’m personally not too attracted to, I still try to do well because that's the right thing to do. It's just a matter of principle.”

Riccardo, who is dual enrolled at Seminole State College of Florida, plans to attend the University of Central Florida and major in math, with a goal of earning a PhD in physics or engineering. He hasn’t decided on a career path but thinks it might be something in research.

Chesterton Academy employs the Socratic method of instruction, where desks are arranged to form a square around the class. Teachers lead discussions from inside the square instead of from the front of the room, using open-ended questions to encourage critical thinking. It is the exact learning environment that Riccardo’s parents sought for his high school education. And, DeSalvo said, it is a setting that allows Riccardo to reveal his thought process as he arrives at his answer.

“For him, he not only understands what he's learning, but he also understands how he’s learning,” DeSalvo said. “He just has a very deep kind of penetrating mind. There’s nothing you can teach him that he's not going to understand eventually.

“This is what makes teaching fun. You almost learn more when you're teaching, and it's students like Riccardo that make that obvious. You're learning just as much as they are.”

 

 

TAMPA, Fla. — Parents, many pushing babies in strollers with school-age children in tow, made their way through the covered pavilion as they surveyed the brightly decorated tables representing 28 local schools.

Their goal: To gather as much information as possible as they try to figure out the best educational fit for their children, either for the 2025-26 school year or beyond.

“We’re all over the place with which school,” said Gevrey Lajoie of South Tampa. Her son, Elijah, is only 3, but she said it’s not too early to begin looking at options. A mom friend told her about the School Choice Safari at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. It would give her a chance to check out many schools all in one place and learn about state scholarship programs.

Lajoie isn’t alone. For this generation of Florida families, gone are the days of simply attending whatever school they’re assigned based on where they live. Families actively shop for schools; schools actively court them, and districts perpetually create new programs.

And while the benefits are clear, some families end up feeling adrift in a sea of choices.

New organizations are springing up to help families find their way. "A variety of options are out there, and the number is growing, but families don’t know how to navigate them. There was no place for them to go to get help,” said Kelly Garcia, a former teacher who serves on Florida’s State Board of Education.

In 2023, the Tampa Bay area resident and her brother-in-law, Garrett Garcia, co-founded GuidEd, a nonprofit organization that provides free, impartial guidance to help families learn about available options so they can find the best fit for their children.

The organization hosts a bilingual call center where families can get information about all options in Hillsborough County, from district and magnet schools to charter schools, private schools, religious schools, online schools and even homeschooling. GuidEd also helps families sift through the various state K-12 scholarship options. The group also hosts live events, such as the School Choice Safari, to connect families and schools.

Organizations are cropping up all over the country, especially in areas with lots of choices. Their specific missions and business models vary, but they are united by a common theme: They help families navigate an evolving education system where they have the power to choose the best education for their children

Jenny Clark, a homeschool mom and education choice advocate, saw the need for a personal touch in 2019 when she launched Love Your School in Arizona.

“One of the most important aspects of our work is knowing how to listen, evaluate, and support parents who want to talk to another human about their child's education situation,” said Clark, who had seen parents struggle with the application process surrounding the state’s new education savings accounts program. The program has since expanded to West Virginia and Alabama.

Clark’s nonprofit provides personalized support through its Parent Concierge Service, which offers parents the opportunity for phone consultations with navigators. Love Your School also provides free online autism and dyslexia guides and details about the legal rights of students with disabilities, and it hosts an online community where parents can get support.

“Our services are unique because we pride ourselves in being experts in special education evaluations and processes, which are required for higher ESA funding, public school rights and open enrollment, experts in the ESA program law and approved expenses, and personalized school search and homeschool support,” Clark said.

Kelly Garcia, GuidEd’s regional director, has hosted several in-person events that feature free snacks, face painting, magicians, and prize giveaways in addition to booths staffed by schools and other education providers. During the recent event, parents could visit a booth to learn more about the state’s K-12 education choice scholarship programs.

Garcia, whose organization prioritizes neutral advice about all choices, including public schools, advises parents to start by assessing their child’s needs and then identifying learning options that would best serve them. GuidEd’s philosophy is to trust parents to determine the best environment for their kids.

At the School Choice Safari, families got to check out private schools, magnet schools and charter schools.

“There’s a school out there for everyone,” she said.

During the zoo event, Garcia personally escorted parents with specific questions to the tables where they could get answers.

One of them, Hugo Navarro, recently moved to Tampa from Southern California to start a new job for a national investment firm. His wife, who had remained with their three kids in California, had already started researching schools online, but Navarro wanted to get an in-person look at providers and learn more about state education choice scholarships before their 7-year-old son starts school in August.

On his wish list: academic rigor, a focus on the basics, and a diverse student body.

“Academic ratings, that’s our number one thing,” he said.

A Catholic school that offers academic excellence was also a contender, though a secular school wouldn’t be a dealbreaker if it had a reputation for strong academics.

Garcia and Clark both said that as new generations of parents grow more comfortable selecting education options, they see the navigators’ role becoming more relevant, not less.

“Parents can use online tools like google to search for schools, but the depth of what parents actually want, and our highly trained knowledge of a variety of educational issues means that as choice programs grow, the need for our parent concierge services will continue to grow as well,” Clark said. “There are exciting times ahead for families, and those who support them.”

As the number of schools and a la carte learning options grows, Garcia said, families will need information to better customize learning for their children.

“This is a daunting task, even for the most seasoned parents,” she said. “At GuidEd, we see a growing need for unbiased education advisers to ensure a healthy and sophisticated market.”

Garcia compared the search for educational services to buying a home.

“A family is not likely to make a high-stakes decision, like buying a home, by relying on a simple Zillow search,” she said. “Instead, they use the Zillow search to help them understand their options and then rely on a Realtor to help guide them through the home- buying process, relying on their trusted, yet unbiased expertise. We see ourselves as the "Realtor" in the school choice or education freedom landscape.”

I received some interesting responses to last week’s post where I showed some math on how few votes it could have swung control of the Arizona State Senate in the 2024 elections and noted that one of the Arizona political parties having proposed eliminating five popular choice programs may have helped Republicans expand their previous narrow majority. One response focused on a relative who voted for Kamala Harris for president but only voted for state legislative Republicans because her grandchildren participate in the Empowerment Scholarship Program. I had not even considered grandparents and relatives (other than parents) of students participating in choice programs, but they are indeed out there and are registered to vote.

Another response noted that the potential coalition against private choice was much larger than that in favor of private choice in Arizona, given that far more students attend school districts than participate in choice programs. The latter part of this is of course true, but I noted that both absolute and per pupil spending in Arizona school districts stands at or close to all-time highs, making it a fairly latent constituency. Notwithstanding a whole lot of windy rhetoric, no one is proposing to eliminate district schools in Arizona (or anywhere else).

Supporters of private choice programs, on the other hand, have watched as Gov. Katie Hobbs proposed eliminating the programs that they rely upon, making them more of an active constituency. I had a couple of readers inquire as to why I did not include charter school students and families. To my knowledge no one has proposed eliminating Arizona charter schools, so I view them as a mostly latent constituency, at least until someone is reckless enough to threaten their existence.

I put together the chart below based on a few different sources of information. Some numbers are from 2025; the tax credit numbers are from the state’s 2023 report. The tax credit donor numbers only count donations, rather than the number of members of the families who made the donation. There is certainly some double counting going on with the original and switcher credits, as many people claim both. The parent figure is an estimate that assumes 1.5 parents per ESA student in 2025 and does not consider the possibility of other relatives. The below list is by no means exhaustive, or even close to it.  Also included are the number of swing votes each losing candidate would have needed to win in the swing Arizona Senate races.

Here goes:

By November 2026, these numbers are going to look even less forgiving than they do now. There are a whole lot of registered Democrats in those larger numbers. It might not be a great idea to give them an incentive to split their tickets to vote in their kids’ interests in legislative races.

By the way, did I mention that the margin of victory in Arizona’s 2022 governor’s race was 17,117 votes and, in the attorney general race, the margin was 280 votes?

Maria Ruiz is at the hospital again.

She’s with her husband, Carlos Dominguez, who is still receiving care to help him recover from health issues after suffering a stroke in 2021. His treatments have left Maria as the sole full-time breadwinner.

They live with their two teenage children in Tooele, a fast-growing bedroom community on the southwest shore of Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

Like many residents of Tooele County, Ruiz commutes about 50 miles to Salt Lake City, where she works as general manager at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant. Her salary barely covers the bills. Over the years, she has worked multiple jobs to scrape together enough money to cover the tuition necessary for her son and daughter to attend the schools that she says best meet their educational needs. In addition to her primary restaurant job, she cleaned houses, sold baked goods, and worked at a bakery.

Her son, a high school junior, also works nights at the Salt Lake City International Airport to pay for his car and related expenses and to help ease his mother’s financial burden.

Those burdens got lighter last year. Ruiz had been enduring financial hardship to send her children to private schools, where they felt seen and valued by teachers who helped instill moral virtues. Her children were awarded scholarships through the newly expanded Utah Fits All scholarship program, which meant Ruiz could get up to $8,000 per child to help cover tuition.

“I could pay off some medical debt,” she said, adding that she would look for better health insurance to help cover her husband’s treatment. She called the scholarship program “a rich blessing” to her family.

But the relief she felt from receiving the scholarships soon turned to worry when Utah’s largest teachers union filed a lawsuit asking a judge to strike down the program.

The arguments outlined in the complaint were like those filed in other states, where programs allow families to direct public funding to learning. The Utah lawsuit alleges the program diverts income tax dollars earmarked by the state constitution for the state’s public education system, higher education and disability services and funnels them to private schools and homeschools. The state attorney general argued that the program amounts to only 1% of the state’s $8.43 billion annual budget for public schools and that “nothing states or implies” that scholarship funds would be taken from money that would otherwise be appropriated to the public education system.

Utah’s attorney general is defending the case. Ruiz and Tiffany Brown, a mother of eight, including a child with special needs, joined attorneys at the Partnership for Educational Choice as intervenors to defend and protect the scholarship program.

A judge is expected to rule this spring. Ruiz said her children have struggled in their previous schools. When her son was in the fourth grade, she moved him to a public school to help make ends meet. But his academic performance suffered because “the teachers didn’t care about him,” she said. He also experienced bullying.

“I went in once or twice, and they don’t recognize you,” she said.

Despite the financial hardship, she returned him to private school, where he thrived. She said her kids’ private schools, which are both faith-based, instill moral virtues while also offering personalized education and a sense of community.

“At the private school, they recognize you on the phone,” she said. Classes were small, and school leaders knew every kid’s name.

Ruiz’s daughter, who witnessed her dad’s stroke and called 911 as her mother tended to him, is still recovering from that experience. The personal care she receives at her school has helped.

She said if the court strikes down the program, the effect on her family and others would be devastating.

“I wouldn’t be able to pay,” she said. She owes one school money, but she said the administrators have shown patience and compassion.

“They know me,” she said. “And they know I’m going to pay.”

Meanwhile, the medical bills continue to pile up. Ruiz’s husband is receiving physical therapy for a foot wound that required a toe amputation. Despite five eye surgeries for retinal problems and cataracts, he still has no sight in his right eye.

“His health has been a roller coaster,” she said. “It has been doctor after doctor after doctor.”

Ruiz believes it’s important to show the court and the public how much of a lifeline Utah Fits All is to families facing economic challenges.

“Regardless of our family’s needs, the money needs to be used for the right purpose, to benefit people’s lives. Many kids drop out because they don’t get treated properly.”

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Millions of students in American public schools are lucky if they get 30 minutes of recess a day. But the students at Wild Oak Explorers spend hours at a time roaming an 8-acre oasis of pines, ponds, and trails not far from the Georgia line.

On a recent, typical day, they surveyed the property to make maps, picked apart pinecones for make-believe tea, fed wax myrtle to a herd of goats – and did whatever else their imaginations spurred them to.

“This is their playground,” said Wild Oak founder Stacey Tappan.

Tappan is a certified forest teacher who started Wild Oak in 2019. It’s technically an enrichment provider, not a school. It serves students who are homeschooled, or those doing parent-directed education, outside of full-time schools, with flexible, state-supported choice scholarships.

Students attend two or four days a week, for four hours at a time. They range in age from toddlers to teens.

Tappan and her fellow teachers organize some educational activities for the students, like the land survey. There are also some daily rituals, like morning “sit spots,” where the students start the day quietly observing their surroundings.

But most of the learning is directed by the students themselves. If the students want to climb trees, they climb trees.

“And if it rains,” Tappan said, “they play in it.”

Tappan began gravitating to nature as a classroom 12 years ago.

She saw benefits for neurodivergent children, including her now-14-year-old daughter, Jacqueline. For many students, the freedom to move – to stand, to wiggle, to take a walk – can reduce anxiety and recast behavior that might be viewed as problematic in a typical classroom, Tappan said.

She also saw benefits for all children – a natural way, literally, to foster everything from character, curiosity, and creativity, to problem solving and social skills.

Just as important, Tappan saw learning outdoors as fundamental to cultivating a healthy environmental consciousness – and, by extension, a healthier, more sustainable planet. “We teach respect for all living beings,” says the school’s website, “and how to minimize our impact on the earth.”

For most people, Tappan said, “Nature has become a backdrop. You’re moving from x to y to z and not actually paying attention. That’s the purpose of the sit spots.”

“If kids don’t learn to love nature, who’s going to save it?”

Tappan and Wild Oak are not anomalies, even if narratives about “school choice” fueled by choice opponents seek to erase them.

The Natural Start Alliance reports the number of forest school pre-schools more than doubled between 2017 and 2022, to about 800. I don’t know if anybody is keeping official tabs on the broader group of “green schools.” But this nature school founder and writer has a pretty good handle on them, judging by the 1,000+ schools she lists in the U.S., including 40 in the Sunshine State.

Nature schools like this one, this one, and this one have long been part of the private school landscape in Florida. And as education choice has expanded, so have they. (See here, here, and here.)

Tappan started with five students from three families. Now she’s serving 29 students from 20 families. Virtually all of them use choice scholarships.

“Being outside is so important to me,” said Dru Clark, who has two children at Wild Oak using the Personalized Education Program scholarship. “I want them to get the health benefits. I want them to connect with nature and learn about it.”

Tappan wanted the same for her children.

She grew up across the street from one of the Jacksonville area’s biggest malls, yet still spent endless hours catching “crawdads” in nearby creeks.

She knew today’s kids rarely had such experiences, so when she couldn’t find a school that opened the door to those activities – stop me if you’ve heard this before – she created it. At the time, Tappan had spent more than a decade in health care management.

“I tell parents all the time, ‘If you don’t see the school you want, create your own,’ “ Tappan said.

Wild Oak Explorers is based at Jaybird Hammock Farm, 45 minutes north of Jacksonville. Most of the property is wooded and home to wild animals endemic to North Florida. But there’s also a menagerie of farm animals, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, two donkeys, one mule (a diva named Buttercup) and at least 15 friendly goats.

Tappan and the other teachers joyfully use all of it for their programming.

For the Great Backyard Bird Count, the students relied on binoculars and field guides to identify bird species, then drew or painted them in nature journals. Over the next few weeks, an official with a local 4-H group will lead lessons in embryology, using eggs from the farm. A wildlife rehabber is also set to visit soon – and to bring a partially paralyzed raccoon she rescued.

None of this, though, holds a candle to Wild Oak’s central feature: Long stretches of free play.

With play comes learning – and way out here, some of the lessons are especially valuable, as Wild Oak parents will be the first to tell you.

“There’s strength in risky play like climbing trees,” said Katie Ernst, whose 5-year-old daughter Rayah also uses a PEP scholarship at Wild Oak. “They learn their own strengths, their own bodies, what they can and can’t do. They learn how to trust themselves. They gain confidence.”

Wild Oak represents other important trend lines that are especially pronounced in Florida, which leads the country in education choice.

Again, it’s not a school. In fact, Wild Oak is now one of more than 14,000 providers outside of schools that are part of public education in Florida.

As tens of thousands of families flock to a la carte learning, they’re accessing providers like Wild Oak, but as only one piece of a program they custom build themselves. Both Clark and Ernst, for example, use their PEP scholarships for multiple programs and providers.

Wild Oak is also another distinctive example of how the expansion of choice in Florida offers something for everybody. The families, educators, schools, providers, and communities who are embracing choice are incredibly diverse along multiple dimensions – and becoming more so every day.

“I know this program isn’t for everybody,” Tappan said. “That’s okay.”

But for those who want it, it’s there.

Three decades ago, dozens of Black families in the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami enrolled their children in Florida’s first charter school. They didn’t know it, but they were kickstarting the most dramatic, statewide, educational shift for Black students in America.

Today, 140,000+ Black students in Florida are being educated outside district schools. They’re either in charter schools, in private schools using state choice scholarships, or outside full-time schools entirely using education savings accounts.

More details on this overlooked migration can be found in a new brief co-authored by Black Minds Matter founder Denisha Allen and myself. It’s a quick update to our 2021 report, “Controlling the Narrative: Parental Choice, Black Empowerment & Lessons from Florida.”

Over the past decade, the number of Black students in Florida enrolled in non-district options grew 86%, to 142,384. That’s more than one in five Black students in the state. For context, 31 states have fewer Black students in their public schools than Florida has in these options.

The numbers are a strong rebuttal to those who claim choice is aimed at helping wealthy, white families.

They’re also a good indicator of what’s next.

As choice programs continue to expand across America, look for even more Black families, educators and communities to embrace them.

DELTONA, Fla.– Of all the skills Yaeli “Yaya” Santos could have picked to earn a grade in that portion of her eighth-grade physical education class, standing on her head seemed the easiest.

Understand this: Yaya does not claim to be athletic in the least, but she had to master a skill, and “How hard is a headstand?” she thought.

So, there she was, hands on the mat, feet pointing toward the ceiling.

Yaya was about to earn a passing grade when she lost her already tenuous balance, causing the mat to slip from under her. The top of her head slammed into the now uncovered hardwood floor.

“Not my finest moment,” Yaya said.

Yet that moment changed her life.

She suffered a severe concussion with lingering symptoms that included migraine headaches, dizziness, dyslexia, and memory loss. She went from being a confident student who earned top grades to one who lacked confidence in herself and struggled to complete assignments and tests.

“My eyes did not catch up with my brain, so I couldn’t focus on what I was reading,” Yaya said. “I couldn’t take notes because it was like my eyes got stuck when I was reading and I couldn’t transfer things from the board to paper, pen to paper.”

Yaya was attending Trinity Christian Academy, a private school near her Deltona home, with the help of a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) when she suffered her head injury in March 2023. Now, learning in the traditional classroom setting was no longer working.

“I needed an alternative education path that could support her recovery with flexibility for doctors’ appointments and therapies,” said her mom, Giselle Bory-Santos.

That path was created by the Florida Legislature, which around the time of Yaya’s injury passed House Bill 1 and created the Personalized Education Program (PEP) that comes with a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. Both the FES-EO and the PEP scholarship are managed by Step Up For Students.

The PEP scholarship provides an Education Savings Account (ESA) for students who are not enrolled full time in a public or private school.

Yaya graduated from the eighth grade at Trinity Christian then transitioned to the PEP scholarship for high school.

This allowed Giselle, the resource officer at Trinity Christian, and her husband, Rafi, a math professor at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, to homeschool Yaya and tailor her education by spending the scholarship funds on various approved education-related expenses.

“PEP truly gives parents the chance to find the right educational path for their child’s unique journey,” Giselle said.

Yaya moved to the PEP scholarship for the 2023-24 school year and enrolled in Florida Virtual School Flex. Now educated at home, Yaya could adjust her class schedule for appointments with her physical, occupational, and vision therapists. She could also work at her own pace without the pressure of completing a test by the end of the period.

She incorporated music into her curriculum and learned to play the guitar. Instead of gymnastics for her physical education requirement, she took up the safer sport of golf.

“I’ve officially retired from gymnastics,” she joked.

The PEP scholarship also allowed Yaya to dual enroll at Daytona State College, where she is working toward an associate degree in liberal arts.

With the help of her therapists, Yaya has been able to return to the classroom setting at Daytona State. Her professors, aware of her learning challenges, allow her more time to take tests and complete assignments. The result is a 3.94 GPA.

“I've been able to tailor my education and personalize it to who I am as a learner,” Yaya said.

Yaya has a 4.0 GPA in her high school studies. She will be 16 this spring when she graduates from both high school and Daytona State.

Next year, she will head to the University of Florida, where she plans to study sports and media journalism. Her goal is to eventually earn a master’s degree in media journalism from Full Sail University and a doctoral degree in professional communications from Florida by the time she’s 21.

“She is determined,” Giselle said.

Yaya said she was skeptical when her mom first raised the idea of home education. A self-described social butterfly, Yaya enjoyed attending school with her friends. Yet, she knew it was time for a change.

“My new normal was unique,” she said.

And the PEP scholarship, she said, was just what she needed.

“The word ‘personalized,’ I can’t think of a better one to sum it up,” she said. “Sometimes students excel when there are no boundaries to how they can learn. Being homeschooled opened opportunities for me.

“Who would have known that, after I had the concussion, that my school could no longer accommodate where I was at in my learning journey because of my health? Who would have known that this scholarship would have opened, and I would have been the first 10,000 students to receive it? Crazy. Now that is not normal.”

One of Yaya’s therapists suggested she keep a journal and write down her thoughts and feelings. A common theme during her recovery was the support she received. She often heard the phrase “you got this” as she struggled during therapy or with schoolwork.

So, Yaya wrote and recorded a song that incorporated her faith, her hard work and the support she received along the way. It’s called, “You Got This”:

“My thoughts fell apart

On the way to the ER.

In despair and fear,

He spoke into my ear

Time will heal your pain.

Take some time away.

You got this, you got this.”

Yaya still suffers from the effects of her concussion. Migraines come and go, and she can still become confused, but she’s learned to cope and compensate. She said she has far more good days than bad.

“The PEP scholarship is a blessing, and it changed my life, and it changed my family's life,” Yaya said.

“I would not go back and change anything about what I'm doing for school now. I've been able to find my dreams, my passions. I've been able to see that life outside of high school is going to be okay. The goal is to graduate and be successful, and that’s what I’m doing.”

SARASOTA, Fla. – When Briana Santoro and her family moved to Florida in 2021, she set out to find the perfect school for her two young sons. She wanted a school that would be nature immersed, Montessori influenced, and academically rigorous. She found good ones that offered pieces of what she wanted, but none that put the whole puzzle together. So Santoro did what an accelerating movement of education entrepreneurs, including parents, are now doing all over Florida:

She created her own school.

“I just got to the point where I thought, ‘I’m going to solve my own problem,’” said Santoro, who has a background in business strategy consulting.

Roots Nature and Leadership Academy bills itself as “thoughtfully rooted in nature.” It serves 60 students in grades Pre-K through six, up from 25 when it opened two years ago. Nearly all of them use state-supported choice scholarships.

Santoro’s detailed vision includes fully engaged citizens.

As the second half of the school’s name suggests, creating future leaders is mission critical. There’s a big emphasis on problem solving, emotional intelligence, and entrepreneurship. From the earliest ages, the students literally get their hands dirty working on sophisticated science projects that touch on some of the most pressing environmental challenges.

First- and second graders recently learned how monoculture lawns and pesticides hurt pollinators, then created informational brochures and wildflower seed packets to hand out in their neighborhoods. Third- and fourth graders studied regenerative farming, then got a demonstration from scientists, via Zoom, on how soil samples can reveal the chemical differences between organic and inorganic approaches. Fifth- and sixth graders, meanwhile, learned how to make a vermiculture composter from a University of Florida extension agent, then shared their knowledge in a presentation to a community group.

“They’re learning skills that are going to be incredibly useful in how they live their lives,” Santoro said. “Appreciation for nature is going to set this generation up to solve the problems we’ve created.”

Roots rents space from a church. It has multi-age classrooms devoted to music, yoga, and projects. But clearly, its heart isn’t inside.

Santoro was inspired by Richard Louv’s “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.” She wanted to ensure her school honored children and “the essence of their childhood.”

To that end, the students spend 70 percent of their time outdoors, either on a whimsical campus where poodle chickens strut and peck under oaks and pines and a dozen varieties of fruit trees, or in an adjacent pine forest where they build forts, track animals, and otherwise range free for hours at a pop.

This is going to sound too good to be true, but bald eagles built a nest nearby and are frequently visible to students going about their day.

“The school is magical,” said Sarah Love, whose sons Harper, 9, and Carey, 12, attend Roots. “Children are laughing while butterflies are flying, and eagles are soaring overhead. I see kids learning academics while they’re on a mat on the ground with the sun shining on them. It just fills my heart.”

The school’s nature-inspired learning opportunities don’t end there.

Roots includes a “hen hotel” the students maintain themselves; learning “barns” full of Montessori materials the students use outside; and plans for a “special skills area” that will include everything from pottery and woodworking equipment to an outdoor fire cooking kitchen.

Gardening and archery are part of the curriculum. So are deep lessons about “gut health.” Beekeeping is on the horizon.

“They’re going to be better citizens if they know how to grow their own food, if they know how to care for the planet,” Santoro said.

Roots is as good an example as any to highlight one of the most underappreciated story lines to emerge as education choice has become the new normal in Florida:

Choice offers something for everyone.

This year, more than 500,000 students are using choice scholarships in Florida. As more and more parents signal their preferences for learning options, and more schools and other education providers emerge to serve them, more families and educators alike are realizing they can have exactly what they want. The evolving education landscape is increasingly dynamic and diverse.

By 2026, Roots expects to serve 75 students in Pre-K through eighth grade. In the meantime, it has 30 students on a wait list.

“Education is changing drastically,” Santoro said. “There’s a freedom of expression in education that’s never been there before.”

Santoro grew up in Canada. After a successful stint in business consulting, she went back to school to study nutrition. She became a certified nutritional practitioner, wrote a best-selling cookbook, and co-founded a company that specialized in high-end food supplements for kids.

With Roots, she wanted not only a top-notch program, but one that could be accessible to families regardless of income and could pay teachers well so she could attract the best.

The Roots staff is eclectic, talented, and all in on the mission. Several formerly taught in public schools.

On the school’s website, one of the teachers quotes famed environmental writer Rachel Carson. Another notes she was raised in a family of environmental activists who traveled the world with iconic oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Yet another embraced organic farming and permaculture while living in Thailand.

“I was looking at, who is going to be breathing life into my children?” Santoro said. “If children don’t have a deep compassion for the earth … it’s just not sustainable. What better way to teach that than to live it every day?”

Parent Corbyn Grieco said there is a lot more going on at Roots than green vibes.

Her daughter is climbing trees, building pollinator gardens, and making homemade elderberry syrup. But the school also focuses on core academic standards, Grieco said, and constantly communicating with parents about how their kids are faring with them. Her daughter is reading several grades above grade level and digesting serious knowledge about health, science, and business development.

That’s the sweet spot, Grieco said: Roots is able to achieve academic success while honoring the magic of childhood.

“To this day,” she said, Roots “is the greatest choice we’ve ever made.”

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Newton brothers’ reign at Clearwater Central Catholic High School ended on a Thursday night in December when Jershaun, the youngest, played his final football game.

It was quite a run for the family who lives down the road in St. Petersburg. It was quite a run for the high school’s football program, as well.

Five Newtons played for the Marauders every year but one since the 2015 season. Each brother earned a college scholarship to play football. One plays in the NFL, and another likely will join him there next season.

“I didn’t expect this,” said their mom, Jovita Rich. “I just wanted them to have a better education, honestly. That’s why I sent them to private school.”

The brothers attended private schools with the help of education choice scholarships managed by Step Up For Students and funded by corporate donations to the nonprofit.

“I love the Step Up scholarship,” Jovita said. “It's been a godsend to my family to be able to put my kids through private school.”

It began with the twins, Jervon Jr. and Jerquan, who enrolled at Clearwater Central Catholic (CCC) as freshmen in 2013-14 and joined the football team as sophomores. Both played collegiately at the University of West Florida in Pensacola before finishing at Mars Hill University in North Carolina. Jervon, a running back, and Jerquan, a linebacker, majored in education and are both elementary school teachers.

Jerjuan followed, graduating CCC in 2019, and recently completed his senior season at the University of Toledo. He’ll graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering technology. A wide receiver who holds the school record for career touchdowns (32), Jerjuan was named to the All-Mid-American Conference first team for the second consecutive season. He was invited to the Hula Bowl, an all-star game for top NFL prospects.

Jer’Zhan (Johnny) was next. He graduated from CCC in 2020 and starred at the University of Illinois. He was a two-time All-American and the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a defensive tackle, and graduated with a degree in general studies. He was selected in the second round of 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders and helped the team reach the NFC Championship Game.

And then there is Jershaun, or “Shauny,” the youngest who led CCC to three consecutive state title games. A knee injury he suffered in the state semifinal this year prevented him from playing in his third state championship game.

A quarterback, Shauny set Pinellas County career records for total yards (9,962) and total touchdowns (105) during his four years. He will follow Johnny to Illinois and plans to major in sports management.

“They are workaholics,” said their dad, Jervon Sr. “These kids, they work day in and day out. I knew they had the athletic ability, but they had the heart and desire to be better than everybody.”

***

The Newtons’ path to an education choice scholarship and football stardom began just over a decade ago inside a St. Petersburg laundromat when Jovita, to kill time during the wash and dry cycles, started a conversation with another mom doing laundry.

The topic of their children’s education came up, and Jovita mentioned her displeasure with the district school Shauny attended. The other mom said her kids attended private school.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I've looked into it, but it's just so expensive, I can't afford it.’ And then she said, ‘You should try Step Up For Students,’” Jovita recalled.

Jovita wasn’t familiar with Step Up or the scholarships it manages, but she was when she left the laundromat that night.

“She said, ‘It helped me out. I put all my kids through school through Step Up,’” Jovita said. “So, I checked it out, applied for it, and they were all approved.”

The twins headed to CCC while the others enrolled in private K-8 schools near their St. Petersburg home.

Eventually, all their paths led to CCC.

“I’m so glad that she washed those clothes in that laundromat, I promise you that much,” CCC football coach Chris Harvey said.

***

The 2020 season was the only one in the last 10 years that did not include a Newton on the roster. The Marauders were 5-5 that year. They are 98-19 with at least one Newton.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Harvey said.

In 2016, CCC reached the regional semifinals with Jervon Jr., Jerquan, Jerjuan, and Johnny on the team. The twins were seniors, Jerjuan was a sophomore and Johnny was a freshman.

“Johnny has a big personality,” Harvey said. “He’s the funny one. The twins were always laughing. Jerjuan was the serious one. He had to control the other three.”

Absorbing everything was Shauny, who was a presence around the CCC football team since he was 8. Not only was he starring for the Pop Warner football team coached by his dad, but he also attended CCC practices and trained with his brothers at the high school and at a local facility used by many of the area’s college and professional players.

“They pushed each other,” Jervon Sr. said. “They’re their biggest fans but also their biggest critiques. And as Shauny got older you started seeing flashes of all of them in him.”

Not only the on-field ability but the off-field dedication that led to his success – worth ethic, desire to succeed, discipline.

“He’s the perfect combination of all four of them,” Harvey said. “He can play just about any position that you want him to play and play at a high level. When they say that the baby of the family is the best one, they're not lying. His future is about as bright as it could possibly be.”

***

When asked what it’s like to have a brother play in the NFL, Shauny shrugged and said, “It’s normal.”

That’s because it was the end game for all the workouts, all the time in the weightroom and all the work in the classroom.

“It helped a lot, seeing how they did things,” Shauny said. “I've been doing the same thing as they did, working out, keeping my body together, getting good grades.”

The theme running through it all, Shauny said, was “accountability.”

His one takeaway from all the time spent around his brothers and the CCC football program:

“Don't react when you don't have to react,” Shauny said. “Don't entertain foolishness.”

Jovita said the main reason for the brothers attending CCC was the education.

“The twins went on a tour, and we loved the school, we loved what it had to offer,” she said. “The rest is history.”

Jovita said her sons often talked about their college courses, and while demanding, they weren’t overwhelmed.

“The education at CCC is phenomenal. They've done an excellent job in college,” Jovita said. “They didn't call home saying, ‘I'm having trouble. This is hard.’ They went to college, and it was like, ‘Oh, we've been over this in high school. This is easy work right here.’ So, it’s the schedule that (CCC) puts the kids through and the classes that they take that just prepared them exceptionally for when they went to college.

“Their goal was to go to college, play football and try to make it to the NFL, and if not, they all have their college degrees to fall back on, which I'm very proud of that as well. They all graduated with a bachelor's degree.”