From Surviving to Thriving: K-12 Choice and Opportunity for Rural Texas Students and Teachers. Backgrounder. No. 3783

Rural students in Arizona enjoy far more education choice options than rural students in any other state. Education has flourished in rural areas under Arizona's robust choice environment just as much as in the remainder of the state. The data could not be clearer: Rural students with expanded opportunities thrive, as do their teachers and communities. A one-size-fits-all education system in fact fits few students and teachers, whereas a pluralistic and diverse system of schools fits more students and teachers. When families have many options to choose from, district schools will have a strong incentive to improve. If Texas lawmakers empower their educators to create new schools, educators will rise to the challenge, both inside and outside the school system. Key takeaways from this paper include: (1) Arizona and Texas are border states with large and growing cities, as well as vast rural areas, but the outcomes of their K-12 education systems have been opposites; (2) While the Texas economy is racing full speed ahead, the state's K-12 education has stalled and is in decline, with some of the worst cases in rural areas; and (3) Texas lawmakers should use Arizona--which has the country's most robust education choice policies--as a model, very much including its rural areas.