Louisiana is poised to establish the nation's most expansive system of school choice by adopting a package of vouchers and other tools that would give many parents control over the use of tax dollars to educate their children.

The initiative would effectively redefine vouchers, which have typically

Primer for Students and Parents

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helped lower-income public-school students pay for private schools. Vouchers could now also be used by students to pay for state-approved apprenticeships at local businesses, as well as college courses and private online classes, while they are still in public schools.

The legislation would also pave the way for the rapid growth of charter schools—public schools run by nongovernment entities—and make Louisiana one of a handful of states to adopt a "parent trigger" provision, letting parents vote to convert their low-performing schools into charters. Louisiana's legislature passed the sweeping education package last week, and Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Republican architect of the overhaul, hopes to sign it into law next week, said a spokesman.