How do we transform K-12 education in America? It’s a timely and essential question. With roughly 50 million K-12 public education students and spending nearing $1 trillion a year, it is no small undertaking.
However, since the government-run, teacher union-controlled K-12 public education system has maintained a near monopoly for decades, there is little to no incentive for it to change, let alone transform.
During the prolonged Covid-era school closures, parents had a daily front-row seat in their children’s classrooms for months and, in most states, spanning multiple school years. Parents were concerned about the lack of quality academic instruction occurring as well as the far-left progressive ideologies their children were taught.
As parents spoke up, their concerns were ignored, and their voices were silenced. As a result, many parents started looking elsewhere for their children’s education. Those who were able to homeschool their children or afford alternatives to public schools, such as on-campus private schools, hybrid schools, microschools, or online, made a move.
While public schools were not listening and being responsive to parents, a growing number of lawmakers took notice, and some began to take action to advance school choice legislation. Those lawmakers listened to parents and recognized that children were not being well served. They also acknowledged that parents know their children best and, therefore, must be afforded the opportunity to educational options.
Tremendous transformational progress has occurred over the past four years. As of 2020, less than 1% of K-12 students benefited from a school choice program and no states had universal school choice. Now, more than 36% of students have access to a school choice program, and 12 states have enacted universal or near-universal school choice. Families respond to these programs with gratitude and enthusiasm and enroll quickly.
By granting families a portion of their children’s education funding, these programs create a true market environment. As more families leave K-12 public schools, the enormous power of the teachers unions, with their misplaced priorities on political indoctrination, will be weakened. Therefore, the fastest, most effective way to reform public education is to allow families to exit, breaking the monopoly.
Also, as families are given the opportunity to select the education avenue that is best for their unique child by signing widespread school choice legislation into law, the market forces of competition will create change. The byproducts of competition in a free market drive down costs, spur innovation, and provide enhanced transparency and accountability.
Advancing education freedom will drive public education reform and the true transformation of K-12 education in America.
Click HERE to listen to Dr. Keri D. Ingraham’s interview on The Bill Walton Show.