This week has marked the second annual National School Choice Week. Parents, students and advocates across the country are celebrating effective education options for all children.
Last year’s town halls, legislative briefings, rallies and festivities brought school choice to the forefront of the educational reform debate, spurring lawmakers to pass meaningful legislation in seven states and the District of Columbia.
School choice is one of those rare issues where Republicans and Democrats can proudly work together. It isn’t about politics—it’s about ensuring our children receive the education they deserve.
Last year in Wisconsin, for example, Republican and Democratic senators joined forces to push a bill that would allow the long-standing Milwaukee choice program to operate more smoothly.
The public school system is not producing the results that America deserves: In math and sciences, our students are outcompeted by the likes of Poland, Latvia and Azerbaijan.
Nationwide, thousands of students are trapped in one of 1,700 “dropout factories”—schools with less than 60 percent graduation rates. Overall, academic achievements have stagnated over the past few decades despite increased spending on public education.
School choice programs have the potential to bring American students back to competitive levels. Different cities and states have adopted many forms of school choice, including charter schools, vouchers, and scholarships.
Such programs empower parents to choose the education that best suits their children’s needs.
Our nation’s capital is on the forefront of the educational reform movement with the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). First authorized in 2004, the program was allowed to expire in 2009 despite President Obama’s pledge to make education one of the top priorities of his administration.
Fortunately, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senator Joe Lieberman refused to let the program fade away. Their efforts paid off in 2011, when Congress guaranteed and expanded funding for the program for the next five years.
Thanks to these scholarships, over two thousand low-income District students were able to attend private schools and receive a quality education that otherwise would not have been available to them.
These students, ranging from elementary to high school, are significantly more likely to finish their K-12 education than their counterparts in public schools.
Access to quality education should not depend on location or income. Unfortunately, until recently, educational choice was a luxury reserved to those who could afford to move or opt-out entirely of the public school system.
School choice programs like the OSP give a lifeline to those families who need it most, giving them the opportunity to rescue their children from failing schools.
When it comes to education, one size does not fit all. Parents deserve to choose from a healthy range of options, including high quality public schools, public charter schools and high quality private education funded by vouchers and scholarships.
While successful in some areas, our public schools have failed those who need it most: low-income students. These children are often forced to attend schools that simply don’t work.
Scholarship tax credits and voucher programs, like the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, are already available in 12 states and the District. Charter schools, originally conceived by progressives to give public education more flexibility, can be found in 40 states and D.C.
While much progress has been made since the first school choice programs were created in the early 90’s, millions of American children are still stuck with underperforming schools.
This week, come together with school choice activists and help build the momentum for change. States like New Jersey and Pennsylvania are already discussing legislation to expand choice.
Legislators nationwide are paying attention. Let’s hope more do so they can ensure that all American children have the educational opportunities that they not only desperately need, but deserve.
Fernando Ferreira is the Maffucci Fellow at the Institute for Justice in Arlington, Va.
