Washington is at crossroads on K–12 education policy. It can continue down the path of top-down accountability; devolve power to states and districts and return to the status quo of the last century; or rethink the fundamentals and do something different. In Choice and Federalism: Rethinking the Federal Role in Education, Hoover's Koret Task Force on K–12 Education proposes a new path in which Washington releases states from top-down accountability and control. In return, the states offer parents greater options and informed choices of schools for their children with the expectation that those options will generate competitive pressures on the providers of education services.

Under the proposed fiscal federalism model, the federal role is confined to what the federal government clearly does best and states and local entities focus on what they do best. The federal government, then, maintains responsibility for assuring a level playing field by creating a solid knowledge base with which parents are able to make informed choices and by providing supplemental funding to students. Local governments, in turn, maintain their focus on offering more choice options and encouraging education innovation.

The eleven-member K–12 Education Task Force is group of education experts from around the country that undertakes original research and analysis and makes recommendations on the most important issues in American education today. Its research is grounded in the principles of choice, accountability, and transparency.