NPRI hails passage of Opportunity Scholarships

(NPRI) – Las Vegas — The Nevada Policy Research Institute is applauding Gov. Brian Sandoval for signing into law today Assembly Bill 165, legislation creating of the state’s first Opportunity Scholarships, a school choice measure for which the Institute has long advocated.

In response to the passage of AB165, NPRI Deputy Communications Director Chantal Lovell issued the following comments:

Today, NPRI celebrates with families across the state of Nevada over the creation of the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program. Opportunity Scholarships open the door for more families to have greater freedom in where their children will be educated, ensuring that more of Nevada’s kids have a chance to succeed.

The state’s traditional, one-size-fits-all education system has failed Nevada students for decades, so it’s high time we allow children to take advantage of individualized education that can help them meet their full potential. This is especially true for children from Nevada’s more economically deprived families, who are the primary beneficiaries of AB165.

School choice has been proven to work; out of 12 empirical studies that have examined its effectiveness, 11 found that school choice improves student outcomes, while one found no impact. Studies overwhelmingly show that school choice also improves public schools.

By allowing businesses to donate to scholarship funds in return for tax credits, Nevada’s companies can help to create the educated workforce they need to make this state better for generations to come.

Though Opportunity Scholarships are a great step for Nevada, the work is not over. Nevada lawmakers must work to expand school choice in Nevada by allowing more charter schools to open in the state and creating an Education Savings Account Program so that all children, regardless of their own abilities or their family’s economic status, may access the educational program that best suits their unique needs.

 

NPRI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that produces and shares ideas and information that empowers people.  For more information, please visit www.NPRI.org.