Educational freedom helps children, not systems

A recent open letter from leaders of several teachers unions urges Democratic governors to reject participation in a new federal tax-credit scholarship program. They argue that doing so is necessary to protect public education.

But that argument misses the heart of what this law actually does, and it sets up a zero-sum game that doesn’t exist.

This new law does not normalize vouchers as the letter says. It normalizes something far more fundamental: parents being empowered to make educational choices for their children, regardless of whether they attend a private or a public school. That should not be controversial. Parents know their children best.

For too long, too many education debates have centered on institutions rather than children. We talk about systems, sectors, funding streams, and political platforms. But families do not experience education that way. They experience it one child at a time.

A mother trying to help her son learn to read is not thinking about whether her decision fits neatly into a political category. A father looking for a safer or more nurturing school for his daughter is not trying to weaken public education.  A public school parent seeking after-school tutoring for a child in reading just wants the child to read better. Ironically that parent may actually be strengthening public education by improving outcomes........

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