Education is essential. It sets the trajectory of an individual’s life. Consider if someone is not able to read. That will limit life opportunities and hinder a person’s ability to discover unique gifts and passions.

Basic education is foundational to human dignity and human flourishing, but unfortunately, today in America, kids are not getting a high-quality education, and they are being stifled for life as a result.

When student academic achievement is not what it should be, there are two things that the U.S. government-run, teacher union-controlled public education claims. One is that public education is underfunded. The other is that public education is understaffed. The repeated claim is that with more money and with more employees, they can then educate children better.

However, more funding and staffing have not increased student learning. Inflation-adjusted spending since the 1970s has more than tripled, but student learning has been stagnant.

In the early 1950s, there was one public school employee per 17 students. As of 2023, on average, there was one public school employee for every 7.4 students. Furthermore, there are four times more public school administrators than in the 1950s. This has led to enormous increases in public education spending.

The United States’ students aren’t competitive against other countries. According to the most recent data from the Program for International Student Assessment exam, a test given to 15-year-old students, America places 9th in reading, 16th in science, and 34th in math. These results have significant implications, including workforce development, the economy, and national security.

The solution is a free market K-12 education environment. Parents must be afforded the opportunity to select the education avenue for their children. By removing the public education monopoly, the market condition of competition will incentivize providers to provide high-quality student learning and exceptional customer service to families while driving down costs and spurring innovation.

While widespread school choice was nearly unimaginable just a few years ago, historic education freedom legislative wins have been achieved. As of 2020, less than 1% of K-12 students had access to a school choice program. Today, more than 36% of students are eligible, including 12 states that have enacted universal or near-universal school choice, meaning all or nearly all students within the state can have a portion of their taxpayer education funding follow them to the school of their parent’s choice. And more states are poised to expand school choice in the coming years!

Click HERE to listen to Dr. Keri D. Ingraham’s interview on the Humanize podcast.