Let parents choose
Every American student deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education, a pathway to fulfilling dreams, and upward economic and social mobility. Unfortunately, many parents in Arkansas don’t get to choose the school that best fits their children; they are stuck with the school assigned to them based on their parents’ income and ZIP code.
To address this, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her first major policy package, which concerns major education reform. LEARNS, the proposed legislation, features an increase in teacher pay, early education reform, and, most notably, expanded school choice. It would create an “Education Freedom Account” to fund different schooling options for Arkansas families.
The beauty of school choice is that it is indiscriminate of those it benefits. Children from low-income families and students with special needs are significantly aided by educational choice, as well as students from middleand upper-class families.
Last year, many areas of the country experienced important progress in school choice. Fourteen states passed school choice legislation, including the landmark Empowerment Scholarship Program in Arizona, which was extended to every single K-12 student.
This program provides for Education Savings Accounts, which allow parents to receive a portion of the funds the state would have spent on public school education to use for an alternative educational environment.
Another victory occurred at the United States Supreme Court, where the Court ruled that Maine’s school voucher program could not exclude faith-based schools.
This ruling set an important precedent for religious freedom and parental rights that will continue to play an important role in the movement for educational freedom. Additionally, the governors of Virginia and North Carolina signed budgets with increased funding for school choice scholarship programs.
The school choice movement also scored numerous victories at the ballot box in the 2022 midterm elections. Warriors for educational choice, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, and Kim Reynolds of Iowa, won their elections handily after making this issue a major part of their platforms. Advocates for parental rights and school choice also experienced success on the local level in many areas.
The research on school choice indicates a strong correlation between states with more academic freedom and high student test scores. After last year’s results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed a dramatic decline in reading and math scores for American fourth and eighth graders, policymakers should look to school choice as a way to assist students with learning loss.
The decline in academic achievement scores was the largest since the testing began in 1990, and only 32 percent of the nation’s fourth graders scored at or above a proficient level in 2022. In Arkansas, the average fourth-grade reading score was four points lower than the national average in 2019.
At the same time, African American fourthgrade students nationally scored 28 points lower than white students in the same grade. By increasing school choice, policymakers can enable families to find the schools that best suit their children’s individual needs, which will be critical in improving test scores across our nation.
In Arkansas, the percentage of fourth-grade students who performed at or above the NAEP level of proficiency in reading was only 31 percent in 2019. Black and Hispanic students were left particularly vulnerable, according to the same statistics.
Not only does school choice often lead to better results for students, but it also restores control of a child’s education to parents, who are best suited for making decisions about which schools are best for their children. Allowing parents to practice their right to choose where their child is educated meets the present moment in American history.
In national polling, 72 percent support school choice programs, and our country continues to see a growing demand for parental rights and educational transparency.
Two of the most critical civil rights issues in modern America are parental rights and educational freedom. Our children deserve the best opportunities we can give them, and these opportunities start in schools. Governor Sanders’ plan will empower parents to pick the best school for their children, increase teacher pay, and reward the best teachers for their work in the classroom.
This is an America First policy that would invest in our students and trust parents with important educational decisions. Doing so will enable a future generation of American leaders to create greater outcomes than we can ever imagine.