EdChoice

EdChoice, formerly the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice,^[3] is an American education reform organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was founded in 1996 by economist spouses Milton and Rose D. Friedman. The organization's mission is to advance "school choice for all children" nationwide.^[4]

EdChoice

Founder(s)	Milton and Rose D. Friedman^[1]
Established	1996
Mission	EdChoice is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing full and unencumbered educational choice as the best pathway to successful lives and a stronger society. EdChoice believes that families, not bureaucrats, are best equipped to make K-12 schooling decisions for their children. The organization works at the state level to educate diverse audiences, train advocates and engage policymakers on the benefits of high-quality school choice programs. EdChoice is the intellectual legacy of Milton and Rose D. Friedman, who founded the organization in 1996.
Chair	Fred Klipsch
President & CEO	Robert Enlow
Budget	Revenue: $6,970,342 Expenses: $6,494,131 (FYE December 2016)^[2]
Formerly called	Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice
Address	111 Monument Circle Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Location	39°46′08″N 86°09′26″W / 39.7690°N 86.1571°W / 39.7690; -86.1571
Website	www.edchoice.org

EdChoice has been called "the nation's leading advocate of vouchers" by The Wall Street Journal.^[5] EdChoice, according to its website, works with "nonprofits, schools, community organizations, businesses, parents, teachers, and concerned citizens to provide general education, outreach, and advocacy on school choice".^[6]

History

The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice was founded in March 1996 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It originally was known as the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation.^[7] Indiana politician and friend of the Friedmans, Gordon St. Angelo, served as the foundation's first president, a position he held until 2009, when he was succeeded by Robert Enlow.^[8] Other notable founding directors of the foundation include J. Patrick Rooney and Mitch Daniels.^[9]

In 2016 the Friedman Foundation announced it would change its name later in the year to reflect the Friedmans' desire to separate their personal legacy from the intellectual legacy of educational choice. They specifically directed the Foundation's board of directors to stop using the Friedman name at some point after their deaths.^{[citation needed]} The Friedman Foundation announced that its new name would be EdChoice and that it would focus its mission on three areas: educating and informing the public about the benefits of school choice; training and equipping policymakers and stakeholders with the skills they need to support school choice; and advancing high-quality school choice programs in states across the nation.^[3]

School choice

In 1955, Milton Friedman put forth an idea of using free market principles to improve the United States public school system. Typically, public schools are funded by state and local taxes, and children are assigned a public school based on where their parents live. Friedman proposed that parents should be able to receive those education funds in the form of vouchers, which would allow them to choose their children's schools, including both public and private, religious and non-religious options.^[10] The Foundation follows in Friedman's view and is focused on the creation and expansion of school choice programs, either through vouchers, tax-based incentive programs, or education savings accounts.^[11][12]

Policy influence

The organization's work is state-focused, with an emphasis on legislation and judicial matters related to school choice. EdChoice also conducts educational and advocacy work on school choice legislation in states, including Alaska,^[13] Indiana,^[14] Montana,^[15] New Hampshire,^[16] North Carolina,^[17] and Tennessee.^[18]

The Friedman Foundation was involved with the U.S. Supreme Courts' landmark decision on Ohio's private school choice program in Cleveland, filing an amicus brief along with the Center for Individual Freedom, Cato Institute, and Goldwater Institute in support of the petitioners.^[19] The Supreme Court in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris concluded Cleveland's school voucher program did not violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

In 2013, the Friedman Foundation was credited with influencing the Indiana Supreme Court's unanimous ruling that the nation's largest school voucher program was constitutional. The Friedman Foundation was cited in the official ruling.^[20] In responding to the court's decision, then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence credited the Friedman Foundation for its work in ensuring the program's continuation.^[21]

Research and publications

EdChoice produces numerous state and national policy studies, research briefs, and voter surveys. Its reports include "The School Staffing Surge: Decades of Employment Growth in America's Public Schools"^[22] and "A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on School Choice".^[23]

EdChoice also releases annually "The ABCs of School Choice", a guide to every private school choice program in America. The guide provides a summary of each voucher, tax-credit scholarship, education savings account, and individual tax credit/deduction program in operation. This publication details each program's funding levels, eligibility requirements, historic participation rates, stories of enrolled students, parents, and schools, and "Friedman Feedback" on how to "improve" according to Milton and Rose D. Friedman's vision.^[24]

References

1. . Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Archived from the original on 7 March 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
2. "Charity Rating". Charity Navigator. Also see "GuideStar Summary". GuideStar.
3. Sullivan, Maureen (July 30, 2016). "Milton Friedman's Name Disappears From Foundation, But His School-Choice Beliefs Live On". Forbes. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
4. "Mission and History". The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
5. "Extra Credit". The Wall Street Journal. September 5, 2001. p. A.26. ISSN 0099-9660.
6. . The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
7. "School-choice charity fund aimed at the needy" Toronto Star Feb 13, 2003t Page A.29 link
8. (Press release). Indianapolis, IN: Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. December 10, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
9. . The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
10. "The Role of Government in Education". 1955.
11. . Inside Indiana Business. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
12. Dodd, D. Aileen (February 17, 2010). "Rally to unite public, private groups that back vouchers". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
13. Fink, Tom (November 5, 2011). "Alaska should approve school choice legislation". Alaska Dispatch. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
14. . INside Indiana Business. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
15. Dennison, Mike (March 17, 2013). "Who's behind Montana's school-choice movement?". Independent Record. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
16. Siefer, Ted (May 15, 2012). "National school voucher group makes push in Concord". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
17. Stam, Paul (April 30, 2013). "School choice, vouchers popular". The News & Observer. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
18. Robert Enlow; Justin Owen (June 23, 2012). "Tennessee families should be allowed school choice options". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
19. "Brief of Amici Curiae Center for Individual Freedom, Cato Institute, Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, and Goldwater Institute in Support of Petitioners" (PDF). The Cato Institute. November 9, 2001. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
20. "Indiana Supreme Court, No. 49S00-1203-PL-172" (PDF). Indiana Supreme Court. March 26, 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
21. AFC Policy Summit - Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. The American Federation for Children. May 20, 2013.
22. Scafidi, Benjamin (October 24, 2012). "The School Staffing Surge: Decades of Employment Growth in America's Public Schools". The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
23. Forster Ph.D., Greg (April 17, 2013). "A Win-Win Solution: The Empirical Evidence on School Choice". The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
24. . The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-04-16. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

• Official website
• Organizational Profile – National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)