Learn About Educational Freedom During School Choice Week
by Brandon Osgood | Jan 23, 2019
[The new year marked the National School Choice Week from Jan. 20 to 26; Editor]
We know that education is one of the most direct routes to success. But for too many of America’s children, their prospects are determined by their family’s income or ZIP code.
Families should have a choice when it comes to where they send their kids to school. Many children are stuck in schools that consistently underperform. Other schools simply can’t suit the unique needs of their students.
Children are unique — so our solutions to this problem should be unique, too.
This School Choice Week, let’s highlight the benefits of what could really help American families: Educational freedom.
Plenty of Options
With educational freedom, families can choose the type of education that works for them. Luckily, there are endless choices for families and their children: Magnet schools, online learning programs, charter schools, private schools, religious education and homeschooling, just to name a few options.
America’s children each have unique needs that can be more easily met by a variety of educational choices. After all, families can choose their child’s doctor and they can pick from a list of child care services — so why shouldn’t they be able to choose their school?
Innovation and Accountability
American schools would be free to innovate. We know there is more than one way to teach. Allowing educators to set their own curricula would provide them with a direct measure of whether their methods were effective. This system would spur innovation, accountability and better educational results.
Greater Equality
With educational freedom, all families have the opportunity to pursue the educational pathways that work best for their individual children, regardless of their zip code or income, creating better educational outcomes across the board.
More Community Engagement
Educational freedom would foster greater cooperation and knowledge-sharing between families and educators. When families take an enhanced role in their child’s education, schools are better able to provide tailored services to students.
To learn more about educational freedom, go to Grassroots Leadership Academy’s Issue Education page to attend The Choice for Educational Freedom, which covers how educational freedom removes barriers facing students.
