Education savings accounts can benefit minority students
Black and Latino students are disproportionately affected by Virginia’s standardized approach to education. Learning loss caused by the COVID-19 shutdowns has only made things worse.
We need new solutions.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, several states have launched or expanded education savings accounts (ESA), which allows families to fund a variety of services, including tutoring, homeschooling and private school.
The where is less important than the what. And what matters is that families have the option to choose what’s best for their kids.
For many, the neighborhood public school will continue to be the best choice. Or it might be a nontraditional public school such as a charter or magnet school.
Whatever the case, the goal should be to put every student in an environment that will let them thrive. Parents, not administrators, are in the best position to make those decisions.
As the data rolls in on the devastating effect the pandemic has had on our kids, it’s clear that giving parents those options is even more critical than ever.
Testing from the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that Virginia students’ scores have fallen sharply since the beginning of the pandemic. Fourththrough eighth-graders have fallen almost two-thirds of a year behind in reading and nearly a full year in math. That’s among the worst in the country in both subjects.
For Black and Latino students in the commonwealth, things are even worse.
This is simply unacceptable. Clinging to the status quo in what amounts to an educational emergency is no longer tenable.
The purpose of education is to help kids identify their interests and talents, and then develop them. When that happens, and students are empowered to pursue their passions and what truly motivates them, they develop the habits that lead to success.
But in the one-size-fits-all world of traditional public education, this kind of learning is stymied.
Every child is unique, which means that the process of inspired learning is going to be different for each one. Some do thrive in the traditional classroom setting. Others do well via online learning. Some work better by themselves, others in groups. Some need a tutor, others learn by doing.
This illustrates the point: We cannot force every kid into identical educational experiences and expect them all to prosper.
We need to transform the system, to allow families to customize their kids’ education in whatever way is best for their individual learning styles. We can’t do this by continuing to do what we’re doing the way we’re doing it.
Education savings accounts that let parents access a portion of their students’ per capita funding to spend on alternatives are among the best solutions. They will help every student, including those who choose to stay in their neighborhood schools.
Of the 26 studies that looked at the competitive effects of increased educational options in public schools, 24 found positive effects.
Far from hurting traditional public schools, ESAs are a win-win. And parents want them.
In Arizona, home of the first ESA program, a study by EdChoice showed that every participating parent surveyed was at least somewhat satisfied with their ESA, and 71% described themselves as “very satisfied.”
In Mississippi, more than 9 out of 10 parents said they were satisfied with the ESA program, including 63% who were “very satisfied.”
ESAs can work for Virginia too. They can be the great equalizer, empowering every family to personalize their child’s learning experience to meet their unique needs.
Members of the General Assembly should put partisanship aside and work together in the 2023 legislative session to provide ESAs for every Virginia family.