WASHINGTON, D.C. — As students return to the classroom, parents in close to 30 states are benefiting from expanded education opportunities while families in areas with limited options are yearning for more control over their children’s education.
Ginny Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at Independent Women’s Forum, issued the following statement:
“Our nation’s K-12 schools are serving too many children poorly. It is well-established that lengthy school closures and disruptive quarantine policies severely—potentially irreversibly—harmed a generation of American students. This includes devastating learning loss, soaring chronic absenteeism, deteriorating mental health, and rampant discipline problems that endanger educators and students. To make matters worse, school districts have mismanaged the $190 billion in supplementary federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, which are set to expire at the end of next month.
Union leaders and education bureaucrats will likely escape accountability for the heartbreaking learning loss, chronic absenteeism crisis, and the ESSER-fueled fiscal chaos caused by their malfeasance, but there are actions parents can take to protect and educate their children.
As children return to school, parents need to ask questions and demand options. Families deserve transparency and choice, and they need to make it clear to school officials and district bureaucrats that they refuse to accept the status quo that is failing to educate many students. Parents should also visit their children’s classrooms, and review the lesson plans, books, and materials their children will encounter this year.
In states that prioritize students over systems and offer scholarship and education savings account (ESA) programs, as well as open enrollment and course choice, parents should explore whether alternative options might be available for their children. With more states offering expansive education freedom policies than ever before, students can access the education environment that works best for them, giving parents the control and leverage they deserve.
As we head into another school year, parents should ask the questions necessary to ensure that K-12 education prioritizes students over bureaucratic systems and union control.”
Julie Gunlock, director of Independent Women’s Network, said:
“Parents are tired of feeling like schools see them as adversaries instead of partners. The good news is that there are many practical ways that parents can constructively engage with teachers and schools now, as school starts, and throughout the year. Independent Women’s Network provides tools to parents so they can navigate their children’s education right now, as well as push for larger systemic reforms.”
Read IWF’s new Policy Focus, “Transparency In Residentially-Assigned Schools,” here.