More Children Escape from Public Schools!

The Wall Street Journal reports that 13 states have expanded school choice already this year, and 28 more have legislation pending. Many of the expansions are small spuds: A million or two in tax credits here, a few thousand more vouchers there. But each little escapee from a bad public school (or a bad educational fit at a perfectly decent school) counts: 

Last month alone, Louisiana enhanced its state income tax break for private school tuition; Ohio tripled the number of students eligible for school vouchers; and North Carolina passed a law letting parents of students with special needs claim a tax credit for expenses related to private school tuition and other educational services….

Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma have created or expanded tuition tax credit programs. North Carolina and Tennessee eliminated caps on the number of charter schools. Maine passed its first charter law. Colorado created a voucher program in Douglas County that will provide scholarships for private schools. In Utah, lawmakers passed the Statewide Online Education Program, which allows high school students to access course work on the Internet from public or private schools anywhere in the state.

Plus one more reason to mourn Mitch Daniels' aborted presidential candidacy:

School choice proponents may have had their biggest success in Indiana, where Republican Governor Mitch Daniels signed legislation that removes the charter cap, allows all universities to be charter authorizers, and creates a voucher program that enables about half the state's students to attend public or private schools.

Via Susan Meyers of the The Foundation for Educational Choice, who also notes that this month would be Milton Friedman's 99th birthday.