In a world full of options and customization, education shouldn’t be a rigid, one-size-fits-all system.
From classical schools, homeschooling, outdoor education, and Montessori programs, school choice and educational innovation are creating more opportunities for students, families, and educators across the nation, including here in Alabama, where the CHOOSE Act has expanded options for families of the more than 34,000 students for the 2026-27 school year.
On the latest episode of Alabama Policy Insights, Kerry McDonald, Director of the Education Entrepreneurship Lab and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education, joins Alabama Policy Institute President and CEO Stephanie Smith to discuss the evolving landscape of school choice and education innovation.
McDonald brings more than 25 years of experience in education and education policy to the conversation.
This episode explores what school choice means for students, families, and teachers, how educator-led entrepreneurship is reshaping the education landscape, and the impact of giving families more options to meet their children’s needs.
School Choice Trends and Innovation
Across the country, almost every state has adopted some sort of school choice policies designed to expand the educational freedom for families.
“We now have 34 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico that have some version of private school choice enabling a portion of state-allocated education funding to follow families to their preferred educational environment,” said McDonald. “And since 2020, more than a dozen states have gone universal.”
McDonald and Smith discuss how these policies have also helped create opportunities for educators to develop innovative approaches for students both within the public school system and through the establishment of microschools.
“They [microschools] meet each student where they are at,” explains McDonald. “Instead of just saying, ‘You’re a fourth-grader, so here is the fourth grade curriculum that we will impose on you,’ today’s microschools will assess where a student is academically… then the curriculum will be tailored to meet them.”
Innovation Challenges
As education freedom expands to allow for greater innovation, opening a microschool remains a challenging endeavor. Educators and community leaders must often navigate zoning laws and other local requirements designed for larger schools.
McDonald and Smith discuss these barriers, as well as the organizations helping innovators and community leaders navigate the process, develop solutions, and launch schools that meet community needs and help close choice gaps.
API is developing resources through its Opportunity Anchors initiative, which won the State Policy Network’s national EdPrize award earlier this year. That project includes a toolkit and resources to support churches, synagogues, and community centers launching microschools across Alabama.
Ultimately, school choice is about more than political debate or election-season talking points. School choice is about parental freedom to decide what educational option is best for each of their children. Listen to the full episode here: One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Microschools and Alabama’s School Choice Future
