Blueprint for Boundaryless Education: Lessons from Arizona
April 8, 2025
Arizona’s open enrollment system didn’t become a cultural juggernaut by accident—it’s a machine built on legal and practical gears that lawmakers elsewhere can study, tweak, or replicate. For lawmakers and their staff skeptical of disrupting traditional district models, Arizona offers a blueprint that’s worked for 30 years. It’s not perfect, and it’s not without faults, but it’s a functioning model that balances parental demand with district stability. Here’s how it works—and where it stumbles. The legal structure prioritizes clarity and portability. Arizona’s school funding formula allows state dollars to follow students across district lines with minimal complexity, reducing barriers to…
A Journey of Resilience: Welcoming No More Lines Ambassador Kelley Williams-Bolar
February 25, 2025
Kelley Williams-Bolar’s story is as powerful as it is inspiring. Driven by a deep passion for educational equality, she gained national attention in 2011 for the heavy personal cost she endured for enrolling her daughters in a neighboring public school that better met their needs. In her struggle—even facing incarceration —she ignited a national dialogue about the systemic obstacles that prevent many families from accessing the education their children deserve. After spending nine days in jail, Kelley was pardoned by the governor, who recognized the injustice of her situation. Her experience is a stark reminder that no parent should ever…
No More Lines: Opening Public Schools to All Families by 2030
May 9, 2024
Today, students are assigned to public schools based on where they live – and this practice separates children from the education that is best for them. A new report from yes. every kid., authored by Halli Faulkner, senior legislative drafter, outlines principles and policies that states can implement to empower families to choose the school that works for their children, free of archaic and exclusionary boundary lines. The report also includes a 50-state scan of barriers to equal public school access. The report includes a 50-state scan of policies to create open educational access for families. Many school district boundaries…
