One Million Kids Can’t Be Wrong

The era of school choice is here, and it’s making waves across the education landscape. With the start of the school year, a significant shift is underway as many families, especially those with low incomes, are choosing alternatives to traditional public schools. Approximately one million students are expected to take part in options such as voucher programs, tuition tax credits, scholarship programs, or charter schools.

The concept of competition driving improvement is at play here, echoing the idea that when schools compete, students benefit. However, this perspective is not shared by teachers’ unions and the education elite. According to The New York Times, this movement towards educational freedom is causing a “crisis in the public schools.”

The growing trend of families opting for better educational alternatives raises questions about the effectiveness of the public school system. This mass movement away from public schools is seen by some as clear evidence of the system’s failure to meet the needs of its communities and students. A Senate Committee is even exploring ways to improve American reading scores, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

A study from the Commonwealth Institute in Pennsylvania reveals troubling findings: nearly 40% of public schools grapple with issues like violence, bullying, and even weapons on school grounds. In such environments, it’s challenging for students to focus on learning, which can be considered a form of educational neglect. Despite these issues, the well-funded education establishment continues to resist school choice initiatives.

The Washington Post recently criticized Arizona’s successful school choice program, which includes 300,000 participating students and serves as a national model. The article bemoans the fact that many students are leaving failing public schools for private alternatives, forcing some schools in Phoenix to close. One such school is Roosevelt Elementary, where the community is reportedly “grieving” over its closure.

Parents, however, are celebrating the opportunity for their children to attend better schools. The empowerment of low-income families through access to superior private education is a positive development, despite the criticism. Complaints about the closure of underperforming schools can be likened to lamenting the loss of a poor-quality grocery store when a superior one opens nearby.

The opposition from teachers’ unions to school choice seems to suggest that only affluent families should have access to quality education. This perspective implies that less fortunate children should remain in failing schools just to preserve jobs for educators. The New York Times does acknowledge that these choice programs are pushing public schools to improve and compete for students, which is the ultimate goal.

Raising standards across the board is essential to counteract the decline in national test scores. School choice initiatives are expected to improve the quality and academic performance of public schools that have yet to see significant student departures. In a revealing detail from the Post’s article, it was noted that only 13% of students in a district were proficient in math during the 2023-24 school year.

It’s startling that half of the schools in this district are still rated as A or B institutions despite such low proficiency rates. This raises concerns about grade inflation and the integrity of school evaluations. Parents are right to question whether they should send their children to schools where only one in six students can perform basic math.

Stephen Moore, a former Trump senior economic advisor and co-founder of Unleash Prosperity, champions the cause of educational freedom for all children. His views reflect a belief in the need for competition and choice within the education system. While the opinions expressed are his own, they highlight a broader debate about the future of education in America.

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