When IWN launched the Escaping Your Government Assigned School series back in the fall of 2021, traditional public schools in many areas were just opening back up for full-time instruction. The families I interviewed in the early months of the series had protected their children during school closures by choosing to homeschool or send them to private schools. They were so happy with the choices they had made for their children. Since we started the series, I’ve been fortunate to interview dozens of parents – close to 70 – eager to share their education freedom stories.

With numerous state legislatures creating universal Education Savings Account programs, including Arizona in 2022 and Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, and Florida in 2023, even more families will be able to access alternatives to public schools. We’ll continue sharing families’ stories here at IWN and I’ll interview the policymakers and advocates supporting the programs on the Students Over Systems podcast.

In addition, you can check out the stories of families benefiting from the universal school choice programs over at Independent Women’s Forum. IWF has been gathering and sharing these powerful stories as part of an ESA storytelling campaign. What are ESAs, you ask? Here’s how IWF describes them:

Thanks to education savings accounts (ESAs), eligible families with a K-12 student can choose the best educational option for their child. With ESAs, parents can elect to redirect a portion of the money that the state allocated for their child to the options that meet their needs — regardless of zip code or income. 

ESAs can be used for approved education expenses, including private school tuition, homeschooling, learning pods, tutoring, technology, and other educational services. Thousands of students are already benefiting from the flexibility and freedom these accounts provide. 

ESA Stories Shared with IWF

Andrea McNeely: Doctors Basically Told Me He Can’t, and We’re Showing Him That He Can

Stacey Brown: Kindergartener Soared Through Second-Grade Math After Family Opted Into Arizona’s Universal ESA Program

Colleen McGregor: Struggling Student Exceeded Expectations Thanks To Arizona’s ESA Program

Wendy Cameron: With Universal ESAs, A Rural Arizona Family No Longer ‘Pinches Pennies’ To Afford Homeschooling

Elizabeth Koth: One-Size-Doesn’t-Fit-All: How Arizona’s ESA Program Helped One Mom’s ‘Twice-Exceptional Son’ Overcome Learning Obstacles

Elizabeth Wright: ESAs Proved “Life-Changing” for This Arizona Student’s Speech Development