The project has a particular focus on the important contributions of faith-based–and in particular, Catholic–schools to the rich tapestry of of educational options available to children in this country, on the importance of empowering parents to choose faith-based schools for their children, and on the right of faith based schools to participate in parental choice programs.
The Project produces high-quality research on parental choice in the United States, seeking to understand the how well these programs work, who is eligible to participates in them (and who does participate), programmatic elements that enable or impede their effectiveness, and steps that the parental choice movement and policy makers can and should take to enhance their ability to transform lives. The Project also defends parental choice programs both in the courts, by participating in relevant litigation through amicus briefs, and in the courts of public opinion. In partnership with the Lindsay and Matt Moroun Religious Liberty Clinic, the Project’s faculty director, Professor Nicole Garnett, has been instrumental in the effort to secure approval for the nation’s first religious charter school and defend the school’s right to participate in Oklahoma’s charter school program.