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For nearly a year, parents have watched helplessly while teachers unions have fought to keep students out of classrooms. The result? Widespread academic failure and emotional breakdown.
Many parents have taken matters into their own hands, moving their kids to private schools, taking on the courageous feat of homeschooling, or experimenting with creative options like community “pods.” The data reveals just how fed up parents are—more than 500,000 students have left the public school system during the pandemic.
The schooling crisis has shone a bright light on an education system that’s long put special interests ahead of our kids. Fortunately, there is a growing movement in America to put students first. Many states are passing school choice legislation that gives money to students, not broken school systems.
This week, Indiana’s state House passed a bill expanding the state’s education voucher program. That would mean more families have the opportunity to choose schools that best fit their needs. And in Iowa, the state legislature is moving forward with an education reform bill backed by Governor Kim Reynolds (R). It would give scholarship money to students who want to escape failing schools and expand the state’s charter school system, among other measures. Gov. Reynolds also recently signed a bill requiring all schools to open for in-person learning.
Our take: The evidence is in. School choice helps students succeed and results in higher graduation rates. The Democrats call school choice efforts “dangerous,” but they are the ones endangering students’ education. Families know their children best and should be empowered to choose how and where they learn—especially during a pandemic. It’s time for states and politicians to pass education policies that prioritize children.
→ Read more: David McIntosh’s big idea: Fund school choice options for parents amid coronavirus (Fox News)
→ Read more: Covid-19 could be the moment we turn to school choice as a road to equal opportunity (Education Next)
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