Groundbreaking Program Marks Breakthrough Year for Educational Options in Arizona, New School Choice Yearbook Reveals

PHOENIX, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The creation of the nation's first-ever Education Savings Account Program highlighted a landmark year that saw more than 30,000 Arizona families enrolled in private school choice programs, according to the School Choice Yearbook 2011-12—the annual award-winning publication offering the most comprehensive data on the nation's 27 private school choice programs—released yesterday by the Alliance for School Choice.

Enacted in April 2011, the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program allows parents of children with special needs to receive an account that the parents can use to choose the best educational services and environments for their children—including private schooling, tutoring, supplies, and more. After a limited enrollment period, nearly 150 families are taking advantage of ESAs, the first of their kind in the United States.

ESAs join three scholarship tax credit programs already operating in Arizona, making the state one of only two states in the nation with four private school choice programs. The Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Program is one of seven new programs enacted across the country in 2011, which proved to be a record year for school choice and education reform nationwide.

To learn more about each of the country's 27 private school choice programs, download the Yearbook at www.YearofSchoolChoice.com.

"Last year's growth in Arizona proved that access to education comes in different shapes and sizes for different families," said Nolberto Machiche, senior communications associate for the Alliance. "The successful expansion of educational options to children all across the state makes clear that families want, and deserve, to decide the best fit for their child."

The Alliance's annual Yearbook, entitled School Choice Now: The Year of School Choice, is a collection of the nation's most accurate data on private school choice programs across the country.  The 2011-12 edition contains an analysis of trends and information regarding school choice, a directory of the accountability provisions and requirements for each of the nation's 27 private school choice programs, and a chronicle of the events from the past year.

The Alliance for School Choice is a leading national organization promoting school choice. For more information, or to download the Yearbook, visit www.AllianceForSchoolChoice.org.

SOURCE Alliance for School Choice