Policy Solutions

K-12 Education Policy
SPN envisions a future where every child has the chance to pursue an education in an environment where they can thrive. We believe that when education supports students in reaching their full potential, the next generation of Americans will be prepared to face 21st century challenges.

Our vision is rooted in the following guiding principles:

Empowering Parents: Parents and guardians are the rightful decision-makers in their child’s education. We advance policies that provide them with the freedom to choose the educational environment that best serves the unique needs of their child and aligns with their values and beliefs. Parents have options—not limited by ZIP code or income—and exercise those options.

Decentralizing Education: We strive for a system that minimizes bureaucracy by authorizing local communities to advocate for bottom-up solutions to local problems. By decentralizing education, we aim to increase flexibility and responsiveness to the diverse preferences of students and their families.

Unbundling: We affirm that education “unbundled” fosters innovation and a culture of continuous, incremental improvement. We support policies that not only permit but promote pluralism. We commit to champion this not only because we inherently value it, but because we surmise the availability of more high-quality options in the education marketplace will result in improved academic outcomes.

Personalizing Learning: Each child is an individual with distinct strengths, struggles, and learning styles. We endorse a varied range of teaching models, methods, and curricula to accommodate these differences, prioritizing student success over preserving the status quo.

Protecting Freedom of Thought: We stand for intellectual freedom. Children should be taught how to think, not what to think. We encourage educators and students to engage in open dialogue, explore different perspectives, and challenge ideas without fear of censorship or indoctrination.

Responsibility: We expect transparent and accountable stewardship of public dollars in education spending. We advocate on behalf of all stakeholders in America’s K-12 education ecosystem: students, parents and guardians, educators, and taxpayers.

Joyful, Lifelong Learning: Education does not begin or end with schooling. We covet K-12 learning environments that spark curiosity and a true love of learning. This recognizes the importance of openness to growth and the desire for unabating education and skill development—beyond the classroom, college, or career—but throughout an individual’s life.

By honoring these principles, SPN will play its part in making “education” not a means to an end that merely prepares students for life after graduation, but an endeavor so innate it is inextricable from life itself. Our work will not be complete until education in America extends every child the opportunity to acquire the wisdom, develop the discipline of critical thinking, and build the pluck necessary to become an informed, engaged, and self-reliant member of civil society.

Jane McEnaney

Director of Education Policy Initiatives

jmcenaney@spn.org

Lila Fraser

Policy Associate

lfraser@spn.org

Energy & Environmental
SPN’s objective is to ensure that energy is reliable, secure, and affordable for all Americans.

Across the country, people are struggling with rising energy costs and concerns over what states will do when disasters strike our vital energy sources. Leadership from the states will ensure that everyone has reliable, secure, affordable energy, that is as clean as possible. Key issues include nuclear energy, offshore wind, stopping harmful energy mandates, grid security, and forest management.

Ben Wilterdink

Director of Policy Initiatives

bwilterdink@spn.org

Amy Oliver Cooke

Visiting Fellow