This op-ed by State Policy Network’s Chantal Lovell first published at the Washington Examiner, as part of the Examiner’s Empowering Families in Education Initiative.

Thanks to a network of state think tanks across the country, millions of children will start the new school year with more education options and, ultimately, an improved learning environment that puts them on the path to success.

During the 2022 state legislative sessions, several lawmakers heeded the growing demand among families for more options in education. This appetite for choice emerged after the pandemic revealed the inner workings of America’s education system — and that special interests, rather than student well-being, often drive education decisions.

Urged on in large part by parents who wanted more control over their child’s education, states expanded Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, tax credit scholarships, and charter schools. State think tanks across the country, close and connected to the people in their communities, encouraged states to expand these innovative programs that put the needs of parents and students ahead of the education establishment.

The most popular school choice policy passed in 2022 is something called an Education Savings Account . An idea pioneered by the Goldwater Institute in Arizona, ESAs are state-supervised public funds that parents can use to pay for a wide variety of education options, including private school tuition, homeschooling materials, or even tutoring.

Read the full piece in the Washington Examiner here.