Ten states rank a cut above the rest in offering parents extensive opportunities to control their children’s education, according to the 2013 Parent Power Index from the Center for Education Reform.
Indiana ousted formerly first-ranked Florida for the top spot. Florida ranked second, followed by Ohio, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Utah.
“Indiana surpassed Florida because they looked at Florida, saw their lessons, [and] tried to surpass them and do more,” said Kara Kerwin, a Center for Education Reform (CER) vice president.
Empowering parents increases student achievement, the center found.
The Parent Power Index (PPI) measures states five ways: school choice, charter schools, online learning, teacher quality, and transparency. It also provides summaries of state education laws and quick links to often-requested state sites, positioning itself as a parent-empowerment tool.
“Parents are very, very responsive to whatever information they can get; they’re hungry for it,” said Virginia Walden Ford, a mother who pushed for Washington, DC’s vouchers program. “It makes for such a greater, more-informed citizen.”
Learn more:
Parent Power Index, Center for Education Reform: http://www.edreform.com/in-the-states/parent-power-index/.
Image by Moore Memorial Public Library.
