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School choice revolution: Governors driving this fast-growing movement

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 08:00:24 -0500

The school choice revolution is going "pedal to the metal," setting the stage for possibly the best year in U.S. history for educational empowerment.

Across the country, governors are driving the 2023 school choice movement, and it’s happening fast.

More than 50 pieces of school choice legislation have already been proposed this year. The proposals include 36 education savings accounts (ESAs), 13 tax credits, and four voucher program bills. Many of these bills will expand, create or improve school choice, with at least a dozen representing major expansions. States that could potentially join the educational freedom revolution soon include Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently said during his State of the State address that it’s time to listen to the families and give them education freedom through education savings accounts. He emphasized wanting to expand the program because freedom is an emergency item this legislative session.

SCHOOL CHOICE IS THE RIGHT ANSWER FOR A ‘FREE, DIVERSE, EQUAL, SOCIETY:’ NEAL MCCLUSKEY

This welcomed push comes after decades of the state rejecting private school choice, but Abbott and the state legislature are optimistic about educational freedom, and parents are more mobilized than ever.

Although Texas is recovering from the educational impacts of the pandemic faster than many states, students have a long way to go. In the recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, Texas students showed serious declines in math, although reading held more steady.

The most telling results from the Lone Star AEP data are the significant gaps between how White students performed compared with their Black and Hispanic classmates. Hit especially hard in the early part of the pandemic, Black and Hispanic families suffered the most due to housing instability, high-poverty districting, and a lack of in-person learning. Black and Hispanic fourth graders scored 24 points lower on average in reading. In math, Hispanics scored 21 points lower and Black students 26 points lower than their White peers.

Iowa and Utah have already made headlines this year after passing universal education savings accounts meant to meet the needs of all students in their states.

In the Hawkeye State, before Gov. Kim Reynolds’ leadership, only 2% of the total student population had access to non-district school choice programs. Reynolds spent three years calling on her legislature to expand choices and facing opposition from both Democrats and Republicans. This year, she rolled up her sleeves with a newly elected Iowa House and passed a landmark bill that will bring much-needed educational change to a system that has not been meeting the needs of every family in the state. This school choice expansion will serve as a lifeline for thousands of Iowans by giving everyone access to the education provider of their choice.

In Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox signed legislation granting an $8,000 scholarship to each eligible K-12 student. Before this legislation passed, less than 0.2% of families in the state had access to choice programs. This victory was years in the making, despite intense pressure from the opposition, and puts the power back in the hands of parents and students.

Up ahead on the school choice track is Oklahoma. After parents spoke loudly and clearly at the ballot box last November, Gov. Kevin Stitt made a call to fund students, not systems, and soon, two bills could create ESAs for all K-12 students in the Sooner State.

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What is happening across our country is significant. We are seeing true policy diffusion where many states are engaging in a friendly competition to be the best school choice provider, and finally offering families more educational opportunities and freedom to choose what's best for their children. In states that have passed school choice, education dollars are finally starting to follow the student, not the institution.

We know that not all children learn the same way or have the same abilities, and school choice gives parents access to the state portion of their per-pupil education funding to be utilized toward a student’s specific needs. For communities struggling to catch up, this chance can be life-saving.

The momentum of school choice is giving students who have suffered long enough from inequalities and their zip codes an opportunity to succeed. We cannot continue living under the fallacy that the traditional education system serves all students equally.

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As a Latina mother and a school choice advocate, I have seen firsthand how educational empowerment lifts a student and makes believers of the naysayers.

The reality is that it has taken bold leadership to start this education revolution. Now is the time to keep our foot on the gas and bring opportunity to every child who needs it.

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I was a Democrat who worked for a teachers' union but I'm voting Republican for education freedom

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 02:00:38 -0500

There’s a growing trend in America catching the attention of astute political observers and candidates alike: Hispanic voters are leaving the Democratic Party in droves. It’s a voting bloc many Democrats have relied on to win elections, so why is this change happening? There are no doubt many reasons, but it’s clear that education is among the top motives.

Many Democrats, on the other hand, keep insisting that immigration is the only issue we care about. Although immigration does matter, it is not the only issue important to our community. We also care about the reasons we immigrate to begin with. A fair chance at a decent living supersedes many other issues, and a good living often correlates with a quality education.

For Hispanic-Americans, our values are deeply rooted in faith, family and freedom. And we believe that opportunity for our children is nurtured through a high-quality education.

LATINA REPUBLICAN BLOCKED FROM JOINING CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS

As a first-generation Chilean-American, I came to the United States seeking endless opportunities. As the daughter of a single mother, I grew up in the traditional public school system, struggling in large classroom settings. My academics suffered, I was often bullied, and I found myself stuck in an education system that didn't work for me because of our financial situation. I was from a disadvantaged and not well-connected family, and my education suffered as a result.

Yet when I came to this country, like many Hispanics, I realized my story was not uncommon. And I recognized that the surest way to attain the American Dream is to gain access to a good education.

The truth is, Hispanic students often face barriers decreasing their opportunities at a quality education. Language barriers, financial struggles, restricted internet connection and lack of access to devices at home are common obstacles for Latino students. The actions of the education establishment over the last few years made these challenges much worse, resulting in record gaps in reading for Hispanic fourth-grade students in 38 of the 50 states, according to the latest Nation’s Report Card (NAEP) scores.

Like any parent, I do not want my children's dreams crushed, or for them to be forced to endure subpar circumstances because their schools are not the right fit for them. I do not want my community to continue to be misled by broken promises from leaders who believe in funding only institutions and not students. I want trailblazers willing to step out in a bold way for educational empowerment, historic per-pupil funding, and opportunity regardless of a child’s zip code or economic status.

Hispanic-Americans are proud of their heritage and have made countless contributions to this great country. Many have left their native lands to better themselves and their families. We have grown to become the second-largest group of eligible voters and the fastest-growing ethnic group in the U.S. And with nearly 35 million Latinos eligible to vote this year, we account for 14% of a crucial voting bloc. We have become such an important voting bloc that we finally have an opportunity to make our voices – and vote – count.

News story after news story is focusing on this phenomenon and the issues that are critical to us. In a recent Pew Research poll, education is a leading issue at 70%, just after the economy at 80%. Hispanic voters are not alone – education has taken center stage for most voters.

Maybe

After enduring significant losses in learning and academic achievement gaps during the pandemic, voters are seeing NAEP scores that show 51 percent of Hispanic fourth graders not mastering basic math concepts. With two decades of educational progress nearly gone, voters are stepping up to call on elected officials to stop making excuses for the deficient public education system and how badly it failed students during the pandemic and before.

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With the failures of traditional public schooling, thousands of children are being left behind, and for too many Democrats and some Republicans, the answer is to quiet the parents, expand the broken system, and sweep the failures under the proverbial rug, hoping no one is paying attention.

I left the Democratic Party because in my state of Nevada, the party has chosen the unions over parents. Voters in some states or districts have the luxury of choosing among candidates in both parties who support choice, but in the Silver State, the choice was made for me. I was tired of hearing the arguments against school choice, the focus on spending more on a system that was failing my community, and knowing stifling of real solutions to the inequalities in the system.

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We want what is best for our children. I know I do.

On November 8, I expect there to be a significant wake-up call for the Democratic Party and any leaders who are still loyal to the teachers’ unions. Sticking to the old smoke and mirror trick with education will cost them one of the most sacred rights of all Americans – our vote.