How ESAs are Shaping a Learner-Centered Landscape

Conversations around school choice and ESAs are rapidly evolving and gaining a lot of traction throughout the U.S. educational landscape. They directly impact how families make the choices available to them. At Coaching Academics, we are part of the solution that helps students reach their full potential by empowering them to take charge of their academic journey with strong executive functioning skills.

Not long ago, Michael B. Horn, a leader in education thought, interviewed Andrew Clark, the president of yes. every kid., about a series of choice policies that are rapidly changing the way we converse about learning. Here are the highlights from the recent interview with Horn and Clark.

What Are Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs)?

In simple terms, Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, are a type of public funding that families can use as they see fit outside the traditional public education system. Unlike vouchers, which attach strings to private school tuition, ESAs let you mostly do what you want. They give families the ability to choose from a wide range of personalized educational opportunities.

This is a huge deal because it involves empowering parents and families over a system that has, for too long, been about empowering itself to be the decision-maker on students' best education pathway.

Why Families Are Leaning Toward Educational Choice:

As per Andrew Clark, parents are no longer driven as much by partisan disputes over education. The traditional debate of whether public schools need more funding or more competition is getting stale.

What parents want in the end is no mystery. They're searching for control. Families have the say in deciding how and in what manner their children should be educated. ESAs (education savings accounts) are a tool by which families can choose and have the power to direct decisions about their child's education. They can enroll their child in a public school, hire a private tutor, or use a tailor-made public hybrid solution. This Movement is gaining momentum. Currently, nearly 40% of students in the United States have some type of private school choice. Universal ESA programs are now in place in 12 states, with forecasts for at least 10 more to follow in 2025 and beyond, according to Clark.

The trend is clear. Educational choice is thriving.

This change is not merely political. It is also cultural. As Clark sees it, many parents today are dissatisfied with the current system's rigid structure. They are searching for something else that offers flexibility, personalization, and real-world relevance for their children's education.

From policy to practice, there is an issue of how to implement it. Naturally, enacting a law is only the beginning. Just as pivotal is its implementation. Some programs resemble healthcare systems, in which a third party or the government meticulously oversees every purchase a person makes, while other programs function more like health savings accounts, where families have a great deal of discretion in how they use the money, so long as they follow a few simple rules.

The latter approach is what Clark and his team at yes. every. kid. advocate for, putting more trust in families rather than in layers of bureaucracy that filter decisions down to the family level. The belief is that when parents are given the right levers to pull and use those levers with their children's best interests in mind, kids' educational outcomes improve.

Implications for Families and Students at Coaching Academics

This trend is an exciting opportunity for our families collaborating with Coaching Academics. Educational savings accounts are becoming widely available, and we often have families who leverage their 529 funds to cover the costs of coaching. Students who have felt underserved by traditional schools now have a pathway to an education that is right for them. This aligns very closely with our work of aiding non-traditional learners and neurodivergent students as they strive to achieve executive functioning skills, improve motivation, and promote self-agency.

What Comes Next?

As ESAs gain momentum and more states appear set to adopt or enlarge programs, the future looks like a much more learner-centered educational ecosystem. It could be one where families can select from an even more diverse menu of options.

At Coaching Academics, we're here to help you in taking full advantage of these changing chances. If you want to learn more about the potential effects of educational choice on your family, contact us. Together, we can create a learning path that is well-suited to your student.