OPINION:
One of the few benefits of the pandemic is the renewed attention parents are giving to what their children are being taught at school. Many don’t like what they see. Others are even more upset that some teachers and administrators will not even allow them to watch what is going on in the classroom.
Many parents are worked up about schools that were closed to in-person learning. Some are upset about mask or vaccine mandates. Yet others are concerned about specific curriculum issues.
The answer to all of these issues is parental choice. Let moms and dads choose what is best for their children.
Did you want to send your student to a school that was open during the past year? Take your share of the funding for education and find the right one for your family. Want to send your student to a place of learning based on whether or not they have a mask or vaccine mandate? Go find the right school for your family. It could be government-run or a charter school. It might be a private school or an online academy. In the end, you might opt to home school.
I trust parents to make the best choice for their children. It doesn’t pit one type of school against another. Instead, these reforms are all about giving parents real options. Some families might send each of their children to different schools. It happens all the time in higher education.
My oldest son Matt opted to attend Marquette University. He liked his choices in programs, the size of the student body, and the location of the campus in the city. A year later, my other son Alex chose to attend the University of Wisconsin. He liked the courses offered there, the big campus with a large student body, and the athletic program. Each made a choice that was best for them. It’s not odd when picking colleges, so why not for K-12 education?
This fundamentally profound yet straightforward idea has worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for more than 30 years. In 1990, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program began. It provided low-income families with a real choice in education. Parents in the program were given a voucher to use at the school that they thought was best for their son or daughter.
Low-income and predominantly minor children have received the most significant benefit from the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Report after report has consistently shown a high level of satisfaction from parents whose children are enrolled in the program.
None of this would have been possible without the remarkable leadership of former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin state Representative Polly Williams, education reformer Dr. Howard Fuller and choice organizer Susan’s Mitchell. I was proud to work with each of them. Their legacy, and that of so many others who helped them along the way, has already benefited generations of children and will have an even more significant impact in the future.
The leading national advocates for parental choice in education, the American Federation for Children, held a summit this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to celebrate more than 30 years of parental school choice and to honor Governor Thompson, Rep. Williams, Dr. Fuller, and Susan Mitchell. It is well-deserved recognition for the positive impact they had on students in Milwaukee and the inspiration for others in Wisconsin and across the nation over the years.
When I became Governor of Wisconsin in 2011, we expanded the program - initially from Milwaukee to Milwaukee County and to the next largest school system in the state: Racine. Then, we expanded parental choice in education across the state—and the numbers can increase each year.
One of the first students to benefit from the expansion was a young man from Appleton, Wisconsin. Before we expanded the program, his mother told me that her son hated school, was doing poorly and was bullied. Once she enrolled him in a new school, his grades went up, he joined the band and the football team, and he loved school. With tears in her eyes, she said thank you.
Every child in America deserves access to an excellent education. It should not matter what zip code they live in, what they look like, or what their parents do for a living. Historically, families with means could opt to move or send their kids to private schools if they did not like the choices in their community. Working-class and low-income families don’t typically have the same options. Parental school choice programs give them real alternatives.
One of the best things we can do to ensure equal opportunities regardless of race or economic status is to ensure every child has access to an excellent education. That is why I support parental choice in education, and I hope you will too.
• Scott Walker is the president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.
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