In most areas of life, when something isn’t working, we look for a better option. In K–12 education, though, children are assigned to public schools based on where they live—and if that school isn’t a good fit, the child is generally seen as the problem. School choice is changing that by expanding access to alternative learning environments. But educational freedom changes lives only if parents and teachers know what options exist, which is why Cato’s Friday Feature highlights the schools, policies, and organizations bringing those choices within reach.

“I think I always was looking to create a more flexible model,” says former public school teacher Jill Perez. “In my mind, I was always thinking, ’ How do we get this model to evolve?” 

Jill didn’t start out in education. She studied anthropology and nonprofit management in college and began working on fundraising at the YMCA. When she discovered how much she enjoyed children’s programming, she went back to school to become a teacher. Throughout her career, she taught middle school math and social studies in public schools, taught at Rutgers and Seton Hall, and supervised student teachers. Throughout it all, she kept thinking there should be a more flexible approach. 

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In most areas of life, when something isn’t working, we look for a better option. In K–12 education, though, children are assigned to public schools based on where they live—and if that school isn’t a good fit, the child is generally seen as the problem. School choice is changing that by expanding access to alternative learning environments. But educational freedom changes lives only if parents and teachers know what options exist, which is why Cato’s Friday Feature highlights the schools, policies, and organizations bringing those choices within reach.

When Jill Haskins stepped away from leading a microschool and decided to homeschool her son in January 2025, she had no intention of starting another microschool. But other families began asking if she could teach their children, too. Before long, she had five students learning in her living room.

“I literally started in my living room with five desks, two textbooks, a handful of novels, and a really junky 10-year-old printer,” she recalls.

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In most areas of life, when something isn’t working, we look for a better option. In K–12 education, though, children are assigned to public schools based on where they live—and if that school isn’t a good fit, the child is generally seen as the problem. School choice is changing that by expanding access to alternative learning environments. But educational freedom changes lives only if parents and teachers know what options exist, which is why Cato’s Friday Feature highlights the schools, policies, and organizations bringing those choices within reach.

Dr. Lisa Swinson spent years helping schools across North Carolina and beyond. She began her career as a first-grade teacher, became a school leader, worked in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Charter Schools, and eventually launched an education consulting business that supported schools nationwide. But conversations with neighbors and relatives convinced her that she needed to focus on what was closer to home. 

“I was kind of like, ‘Oh, Lisa, wait a minute. How can you say you’re doing all these great things and you’re not even helping your neighbors?’” she recalls. 

Families in the Zebulon and Wendell area of North Carolina were frustrated by limited educational options. Lisa decided to do something about it, opening Creative Minds Microschool in fall 2024 with seven students in grades three through six.

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In most areas of life, when something isn’t working, we look for a better option. In K–12 education, though, children are assigned to public schools based on where they live—and if that school isn’t a good fit, the child is generally seen as the problem. School choice is changing that by expanding access to alternative learning environments. But educational freedom changes lives only if parents and teachers know what options exist, which is why Cato’s Friday Feature highlights the schools, policies, and organizations bringing those choices within reach.

“We couldn’t find the right school, so we made one,” Tiffany Diamond recalls, describing the origins of Evergreen Elementary in Hudson, New Hampshire. An experienced educator—including serving as a tutor for students with autism and a public and private school teacher—Tiffany wanted a school that focused on the individual child, both academically and developmentally. So she and her husband, who also worked in education, are creating it one step at a time.

Now in its third year, Evergreen currently serves preschool through first grade, with plans to expand through fifth grade. “We have built a school that feels like home, and the families are very involved in the community,” Tiffany explains. “The children love coming to school and forming their relationships and having fun and being children in addition to the fact that they are surpassing grade-level standards by one to two years.” 

Evergreen’s approach emphasizes hands-on learning, play, and real-world experiences. Students move between structured lessons and open play throughout the day, with more academically intensive work generally taking place before 1 p.m. Afternoons focus on movement, science experiments, and other interactive activities. 

The school’s outdoor space, developed with support from VELA, provides additional learning opportunities. A farmer has brought chickens to teach students about their life cycle, while a botanist helped children explore plants growing on the school’s property.

Tiffany is creating Evergreen’s curriculum and assessment system year by year as the school grows. Although it is based on state standards, it looks very different from conventional schooling. There are no typical tests, quizzes, or homework. Instead, teachers track students’ progress through frequent, informal, one-on-one check-ins. 

For example, when teaching kindergarteners about books, teachers might evaluate whether students can identify a title, explain what an author does, or recognize story elements. They record whether each child has mastered individual skills and use that information to guide instruction. 

The process is designed to make assessment feel like another part of learning rather than something stressful. Tiffany recalls a student reassuring a newcomer, “If you get it wrong, we always say it’s okay. It’s okay to make mistakes because that means that you’re learning.”

Parents receive detailed trimester reports showing their children’s progress on specific skills, along with suggestions for reinforcing learning at home. 

Making Evergreen accessible to lower-income families is another central part of Tiffany’s mission—“I was one of those students,” she notes. All of the school’s New Hampshire families use the state’s Education Freedom Account (EFA) program, which helps families pay for educational expenses. Support from The Drexel Fund and VELA helps bridge the gap between that funding and the actual cost of educating students. 

“We’ve grown from our initiative, which was one-third underserved, and now we’re at 50 percent underserved low-income students,” Tiffany says. “EFAs play a huge role in our ability to do what we do at the core of our mission.”

That growth creates challenges, particularly as Evergreen plans to add classrooms and eventually expand its building. But Tiffany says families are enthusiastic about the school’s future, and some have already offered to contribute their construction and trade skills. 

For others considering starting a school, Tiffany emphasizes persistence and early community outreach. Evergreen initially attracted significant interest, but construction delays meant many prospective families needed to enroll elsewhere before the school opened. 

“Make sure that you are driven by passion, that you have grit, that you value what it is that you are seeking to accomplish,” she adds. “You will come across boundaries and hurdles, and when you do, don’t stop. Just keep going.” 

On October 1, the Treasury Department issued proposed rules for the new federal scholarship tax credit (FSTC). That same day, I wrote about how I and others had misinterpreted the implications of the Treasury’s incorporation of a definition of school from the Coverdell ESA law, which defines qualified expenses for the FSTC.

The proposed rules state, “The term school has the definition set forth in section 530(b)(3)(B) and any guidance issued thereunder.” The referenced law says, “The term ‘school’ means any school which provides elementary education or secondary education (kindergarten through grade 12), as determined under State law.” Most observers have taken this to mean homeschoolers in states that don’t define it as a school would not be eligible. 

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In most areas of life, when something isn’t working, we look for a better option. In K–12 education, though, children are assigned to public schools based on where they live—and if that school isn’t a good fit, the child is generally seen as the problem. School choice is changing that by expanding access to alternative learning environments. But educational freedom changes lives only if parents and teachers know what options exist, which is why Cato’s Friday Feature highlights the schools, policies, and organizations bringing those choices within reach.

It would be an extreme understatement to say that this has been an exciting week for Kanesha Barnes-Adams and her husband, founders of The Learning Lounge. On Tuesday, it was announced that The Learning Lounge won this year’s $1 million Yass Prize, dubbed the “Pulitzer for Education Innovation.” 

“When we started The Learning Lounge in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, we weren’t trying to build the biggest school. We were trying to build a school where every child could be seen, supported, and celebrated beyond the labels placed on them,” Kanesha says. “Winning the $1 million Yass Prize is more than a recognition of our work; it is a reminder that innovation doesn’t have to come from big cities or big institutions. Sometimes, the biggest ideas come from the smallest communities. This moment belongs to our students, our families, our educators, and every rural community that has ever been told what’s possible for their children.” 

A recently filed lawsuit against West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship reads like plaintiffs threw spaghetti at a wall and hoped some of it would stick. The plaintiffs claim the scholarship is unconstitutional, but the problems they blame on Hope predate it, and the funding and legal claims fall apart on closer inspection.

Thousands of West Virginia kids are benefiting from the Hope Scholarship, an education savings account (ESA) program enacted in 2021 that allows parents to use state funds for a variety of educational expenses rather than sending their child to their assigned public school. Eligibility for the scholarship was limited in the first several years to students who were transferring out of public schools or entering kindergarten for the first time. The 2026–27 school year is the first when all students in the state are eligible. 

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