Many Americans are dissatisfied with the way we educate our children and how we prepare them for a career and life. Just look at America’s literacy rate—despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, almost two-thirds of US students cannot read at grade level. And even though the US spends billions on education each year, American students consistently score lower than many other countries on math and science.

These lackluster results could be the driver behind this stat: Most Americans think we need to reimagine how we educate K-12 students.

Putting power back in the hands of parents and their families

One way to reimagine our education system is to put more power in the hands of parents and let them decide how to best educate their kids. The Washington Examiner launched a school choice project with that idea in mind. Through the Examiner’s “Empowering Families in Education” initiative, several organizations across the country imagined what can happen to our education system when we empower parents to make the best choices for their children.

SPN contributed three op-eds to the project—and commissioned other pieces from the Beacon Center of Tennessee and Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy. Each op-ed detailed how we can better educate students in America when we shift the focus away from the education establishment and towards families.

A theme highlighted in the op-eds, below are some of the ways states can put parents in the driver’s seat when it comes to their child’s education.

Expand parental choice within the public school system

In her op-ed for the Washington Examiner, SPN’s Erin Norman explained why it’s important to give parents options within the public school system. This means allowing families to attend charter schools, or tuition-free public schools that are independently run. Charters are a valuable education option for many students, especially those from low-income families who can’t afford private alternatives.

Expanding parental choice within the public school system also means allowing students to transfer to another school district. There are thousands of good public schools that do an exceptional job at educating their students. However, there are some poor performing school districts that fail to give their students a positive learning environment. Allowing students to transfer to another school can give families in poor-performing districts the opportunity to attend a better school. Norman added:

“These types of policies let parents shop around, within the confines of the public system, for a school that meets their child’s specific needs.”

Reform state education funding formulas to fund students over systems

The Beacon Center of Tennessee’s CEO Justin Owen highlighted how Tennessee reformed its complicated education funding system to fund students instead of systems. Each state has a method, or education funding formula, for determining how much money the schools in their state receive for education. There are different factors, such as school district size, that states use to determine how the money is allocated, and each state has a different process.

As Justin highlighted in his piece for the Washington Examiner, Tennessee’s funding formula was one of the most complex in the country, with more than 50 factors determining how much money a school district or student receives. But this year, Tennessee changed its funding formula to make it much simpler, and importantly—student-centered rather than systems-based.

Justin noted: “The “benefits of funding students over systems is that it can give parents more choice and children greater opportunities.”

Pass Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)

The Cardinal Institute’s Communications Director, Amanda Kieffer, highlighted how parents can benefit from West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship—a type of Education Savings Account (ESA). ESAs are state-supervised public funds that parents can use to pay for a wide variety of education options, including private school tuition, homeschooling materials, or even tutoring. ESA programs, like the Hope Scholarship, give parents the ability to customize their child’s education based on their unique needs. ESAs especially help lower income families, who don’t always have the money to afford alternative education options for their kids, such as private school.

Amanda noted: “The Hope Scholarship was a lifeline for many families that, prior to its passage, had no obvious pathway for giving their children a brighter educational future.”

Amanda highlighted how the Hope Scholarship is tied up in a legal battle—but will hopefully soon be available to the thousands of West Virginia families who would benefit from greater parental choice. 

Expand other parental empowerment policies—including tax credit scholarships, learning pods, and charter schools

SPN’s Chantal Lovell outlined all the ways states empowered parents to choose the education option that works best for their child. In 2022, several states expanded tax credit scholarships, which allows more money to flow into programs that give families money to attend a school of their choice. States also expanded charter schools—a valuable education option for millions of families, especially those with lower incomes.

Chantal added: “As we enter a new school year, more parents than ever before can choose what education environment best suits their child, whether that’s public, private, or even at home.”

Related Reading:

Why we must expand choice within the public school system 
State Policy Network’s Erin Norman in the Washington Examiner

Education freedom is the silent midterm issue
State Policy Network’s Erin Norman in the Washington Examiner

All of the ways the school choice movement is winning at the state level
State Policy Network’s Chantal Lovell in the Washington Examiner

Tennessee’s new student-centered funding approach a model for the nation
Beacon Center of Tennessee’s Justin Owen in the Washington Examiner

Hope for education freedom deferred in West Virginia
Cardinal Institute of West Virginia’s Amanda Kieffer in the Washington Examiner