Ten states have passed legislation to grant all, or nearly all, families statewide with K-12 education freedom. It is time for all of the other Republican trifecta states to get the job done.
Texas State Rep. Cody Harris, a Republican from rural Palestine, Texas, was one of several Republicans who initially opposed school choice. Yet, once he began serving on the House Public Education Committee earlier this year, his position changed.
There are five major categories of people working to block school choice for others despite taking advantage of it themselves. The most hypocritical — those who send their own children to private schools as their wealth allows but don’t want others to have that opportunity.
Parents Are Essential in Their Children's Education
Keri D. Ingraham
October 23, 2023
For far too long, K-12 public schools have been viewed as the only experts when it comes to educating children. Parents’ fundamental responsibility to serve as the primary educators of their children has been outsourced to these government institutes, where the vast majority of children remain trapped.
Historically, Texas has painfully lagged in school choice programs, resembling more of a blue state than its Republican trifecta. But Governor Abbott is committed to changing that.
As state after state embraces policies that empower parents with more options in K-12 education, opponents of school choice are claiming that it is a “threat to democracy.” But if anything, school choice is better for democracy than government-run schooling.
Recent polling suggests that nearly half of parents would prefer a hybrid approach for their child’s education, combining on-campus and at-home learning days each week. A promising model of hybrid education exists by the name of college-simulated learning.
A few years ago, the hope of providing all families within a state with funding to select the education avenues that would best serve their individual children was considered nearly unimaginable.
Teachers unions and education bureaucrats hail public schools for being open to all children while condemning private schools for limiting access. But most “public” schools aren’t public at all.
Families with children in public schools are restricted to a specifically assigned school based on home address — even if another public school is a better fit. Removing that artificial barrier in order that there are “no more lines” in public education should be a priority.
With the hashtag “#TeachTruth,” the National Education Association demanded the “freedom to teach” and the “freedom to learn” at their annual Representative Assembly earlier this month. It is laughable that the representatives and leaders of the world’s largest teachers union are masquerading as champions of freedom.
It's time to reevaluate and innovate the Christian school business model, identifying areas where practices of other industries can be utilized to strengthen operations, reduce costs, and improve quality.
Despite this tremendous progress in empowering a growing number of parents with the freedom to move their children outside of the public education system, expanding options within public education often remains extremely limited.
My Talk With Tucker After His Last Show on Fox News
Keri D. Ingraham
June 26, 2023
In our work at the American Center for Transforming Education we are committed to, calmy and without embarrassment, speaking the truth because we know there is hope.
On the heels of a historic year of school choice advancement, including legislation that enacted universal or near-universal school choice programs in seven states, Illinois is poised to go in the opposite direction, delivering a blow to low-income families.
The teacher-hiring crisis is far from over. High teacher-turnover rates are outpacing the sharp decline in student enrollment numbers in K-12 public schools.
According to a recent poll, if given the option, 48% of parents prefer a hybrid approach to learning for their children, combining on-campus and at-home learning days each week.
DeSantis has earned the rank as the nation's top education change agent among his many other achievements as governor. Other governors should emulate his example of courageous leadership and enact Florida's education model legislation.
Wins keep pouring in for school choice in red states. Currently, seven states have enacted universal or near-universal school choice into law: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Utah, and West Virginia.