Since the COVID-19 pandemic, how parents want their children educated has changed significantly – and it has important implications for policymakers heading into the 2024 legislative session. That’s the assessment of Sutherland Institute Education Policy Fellow Christine Fairbanks as she looks at the data.

 “School closures and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic opened up this window into education, and some parents didn’t like what they saw,” Fairbanks said.

In a 2023 article, Fairbanks explained that the pandemic fueled a resurgence of parent-driven education.

“The year 2021 was dubbed by some the ‘year of school choice’ and for good reason,” Fairbanks wrote for the Sutherland Insights blog. “The nation witnessed a significant spike in states enacting education choice policies as the pandemic roared on and caused controversies in education, including continued school closures, masking requirements, and curriculum debates that spilled over into public school board hearings gone awry.”

While this resurgence of education choices can have a positive impact on student achievement, development and confidence, it may also be a factor in declining enrollment in Utah public school districts. Declining enrollment has many causes, but we know that more families are interested in pursuing alternatives to the traditional public classroom.

Examples of alternatives to watch are the growth of private schools and microschools.

Microschools, according to Fairbanks, “are a schooling innovation that allows fewer students than in a traditional school to meet in a mixed-age environment, much like a one-room schoolhouse.”

You might think of this as a return to the traditional schoolhouse model that served a group of kids in a given community or small town, but now with modern features.

Fairbanks believes that this trend is just beginning, as Utah’s 2024 legislative session kicked off this week.

“We anticipate [education] choices to proliferate and to see legislation that supports them through zoning laws and additional funding,” she remarked.

Utah has long been a pioneer in accessibility and choice in education, with the development of the Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships in 2005 and the Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship in 2020. In 2023, the Legislature passed the “Utah Fits All” scholarship program, which Fairbanks believes could clear the way for future adaptations in education.

“There has been this general shift since the COVID-19 pandemic that people want more flexibility, they want more home-based options, whether it’s work or school,” Fairbanks said. “Now, legislatively, culturally and politically, we’re trying to support that shift.”

In 2024, voters should keep a keen eye on the future of education and how it’s made more accessible to students. Utah has made great strides to lead the effort, and the 2024 legislative session is poised to continue that trend.

For a more in-depth perspective on this article, read our Insights piece here.