Education

Key Points
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Key Points
  • Citizens, legislators, and regulators should separate the concept of public education from the monopolistic delivery system and embrace 21st-century methods of connecting students with learning experiences.
  • Legislators should improve or pass charter school laws, striking a balance between innovation, autonomy, and accountability.
  • Legislators should create or expand the type(s) of school choice program that best suits their state: vouchers, tax credit scholarships, homeschooling, and education savings accounts.
  • Legislators and regulatory agencies should be wary of attempts to re-regulate innovative and/or private educational options, which could expose them to the death of the thousand bureaucratic cuts and sacrifice the freedoms that allow them to succeed.
  • Institutions of higher education should be transparent about what outcomes students can expect and how much money they will have to spend or borrow.

An excellent education has long been recognized as key to the American Dream. Unfortunately, the current monopolistic and expensive K-12 education system is failing our students, leaving them unprepared for college, careers, or life. Similarly, our higher education system is leaving students with higher debt burdens and fewer career guarantees than ever before.

While the left argues that our ailing public education system can be fixed with ever-greater quantities of taxpayer dollars, the more than $600 billion we currently spend nationwide reflects a large increase in funds over the last 30 years, in exchange for total stagnation – or worse, declines – in achievement. On the college level, subsidies meant to help college students struggling to pay tuition have instead caused prices to skyrocket well above inflation.

Instead of throwing more money at the problem, it’s time to let parents take back control over their children’s educations by allowing them to apply competitive pressure to schools and educational providers. Innovative, parent-empowering choices such as charter schools, voucher programs, tax credit scholarships, homeschool, and education savings accounts allow each child the opportunity to reach his or her potential. In higher education, greater transparency is needed to ensure that students and parents know what they are paying for, and with what prospects they are likely to graduate.

Instead of endless top-down mandates, these revolutionary inroads into the education system are coming from the states. Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books allowing charter schools to operate, while half the states have some form of private school choice program. The states should continue to expand parent choice and push educational institutions to compete with each other to provide the best product, just like providers of any other service.

Articles

Local Issues

Governor Youngkin Puts Educational Freedom in the Spotlight

Andrew Handel/January 24, 2022
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Publications

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Model Policies

  • Homeschooled Student Access to Testing Act Final

    Model Policy Section 1 Upon request of a parent or guardian, resident school boards shall make Advanced Placement (AP), Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), PreACT, SAT, ACT and other similar examinations available to students receiving home instruction pursuant to [statutory reference]. Section 2 School boards shall notify such…

  • American Civics and History Act Final

    WHEREAS, the 2020 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey found that one out of every two Americans cannot name all three branches of government and one in five Americans are unable to name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; WHEREAS, the 2018…

  • Textbook Cost Transparency Act Final

    Model Policy: Section 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the “Textbook Cost Transparency Act”. Section 2. Definitions. (a) “Content distribution system” means any learning management platform, online homework system, content platform, or other software-based system required to access instructional materials. (b) “Instructional materials” means content in any medium…

  • Amendments to the Act to Prohibit Confucius Institutes in Public Institutions of Higher Education Final

    The [INSERT LEGISLATIVE BODY] enacts:   SECTION 1. [INSERT RELEVANT SECTION OF STATUTE REGARDING HIGHER EDUCATION] is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:   “The [Board of Governors or INSERT RELEVANT HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNING BODY] shall adopt a policy prohibiting any constituent institution from hosting a Confucius Institute,…

  • Reading Scholarship Act Final

    READING SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNTS. — Reading scholarship accounts are established to provide educational options for students.   —Contingent upon available funds, and on a first-come, first-served basis, each student in grades 3 through 5 who is enrolled in a public school is eligible for a reading scholarship account if the student…

  • Student Safety Scholarship Act Final

    THE STUDENT SAFETY SCHOLARSHIP ACT Section 1. {Title} The Student Safety Scholarships Act Section 2. {Definitions} (A) “Program” means the Student Safety Scholarships Program. (B) “Eligible student” means a student who: (1)(i) is enrolled in a public school in kindergarten through grade 12; and (ii) reported an incident…

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Task Forces

Education and Workforce Development

The mission of the ALEC Education and Workforce Development Task Force is to promote excellence in the nation’s educational system,…

Press Releases

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