When children are trapped in failing schools, parents sometimes feel as though they are powerless to improve the situation. Fortunately, education reform is gaining momentum around the country, and parents have become more educated, organized, and empowered to make the best decisions for their children's education. One of the most dramatic examples of parent empowerment is the Parent Trigger, which allows parents to turn an existing failing school into a charter school, replace employees, or close the school entirely.

Education reform advocacy group StudentsFirst, led by school choice champion Michelle Rhee, has released their State Policy Report Card. This report card was designed “to evaluate the education laws and policies in place in each state.” The study used three forms of criteria for evaluation to find states in which schools: Elevate teaching, Empower Parents, and Spend Wisely & Govern Well.

No one needs to be reminded that we have an education system in crisis. While there are many reasons for the education dilemna at hand, one widely held belief is that our teachers are not prepared for the changing educational climate.

Teachers are given the incredible responsibility of educating children. Around the world, parents entrust these men and women to spend their days educating children with the expectation that they will stick to the curriculum and leave personal beliefs at home. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

In a recent report, the Congressional Research Service revealed that welfare spending has increased by 33% under Barack Obama, topping out at over $1 Trillion annually.

Wednesday, in the critical battleground state of Ohio, Paul Ryan spoke about his plan for the 46 million Americans who live in poverty saying that "in this war on poverty, poverty is winning.” With one in six Americans living in poverty, Ryan said that he and Mitt Romney would help them join (or rejoin) the middle class. "Many of those living in poverty today were in the middle class just a few years ago.

Earlier this week, Pennsylvania state senate to approve reforms for Pennsylvania charter schools. These reforms included educational and financial accountability reforms, but removed language from the bill which would add additional powers to the state board which oversees charter schools. The bill also fails to deal with the funding formula for charter schools. However, it is still a great step forward for school choice. 

During the debate on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney were asked the question “Does the Federal Government have a responsibility to improve the quality of public education in America?” The candidates, as expected, had very different answers.

We hear the term “school choice” quite a lot and, with Hollywood shining a spotlight on the issue with new film Won't Back Down, we are bound to hear even more in the coming weeks. However, "school choice" is a blanket term that can mean a variety of different things. In my last piece, we looked at charter schools, open enrollment, and school vouchers and how they are helping children succeed.

There has been a lot in the news lately about school choice, but those words, "school choice" can mean many different things. Let’s take a look at some of the different forms school choice can take, and how they have worked for American children.