There is only one answer to the mortal threat of government “education.”
Get them out.
Reforming the public school system is futile. Many have tried, but the situation only worsens. Many have believed that the problem with public schools could be solved merely by abolishing the Department of Education. However, in an interview with The New American, former Arizona Superintendent Diane Douglas said she learned over the years that while “get[ting] the Feds out of education” would be “certainly a step in the right direction, people must realize that the system is controlled top to bottom by the government. I’ve seen as much, if not more, damage done to children’s education at the state and local levels.”
Douglas also learned that neither political party truly wants to change the government system of education. Therefore, the clear solution is that parents must get their children out of the government school monopoly immediately.
We must rescue our children.
Alternatives for Parents
Homeschooling and vetted private schools are the two options recommended.
America has recently experienced the largest and fastest surge in homeschooling ever recorded. Data released on March 22, 2021 by the U.S. Census Bureau confirmed previous survey data suggesting that the number of families educating their children at home had more than doubled during the pandemic. According to the “Household Pulse Survey” results, about 5.4 percent of families with school-age children were homeschooling in the spring of 2020. By fall of 2020, that number had ballooned to over 11 percent and was climbing.
Academically, the data on homeschooling is clear: It works extremely well. Children educated at home score on average between the 80th and 90th percentile on the government’s own standardized tests. They accomplish that with about five percent of the money and far less time. And the children do better on every metric of socialization too. Colleges and universities have figured this out and are actively recruiting homeschool students.
There are also many good private schools across America that are offering high-quality, God-centered education at affordable prices. For example, a network of hundreds of “Principle Approach” schools spread out across America are producing excellent results academically and spiritually. FreedomProject Academy offers a top-notch online K-12 classical education for a fraction of what traditional private (and public) schools charge — and it even has a scholarship program for qualifying low-income families.
Dozens of viable organizations and ministries assist in assimilating millions of new children into K-12 private, Christian, and home education, such as the Home School Legal Defense Association, Foundation for American Christian Education, Renewanation, Alpha and Omega, Classical Conversations, Association of Classical and Christian Schools, Bob Jones University Press, A Beka, Apologia, National Black Home Educators, Public School Exit, and Exodus Mandate.
However, regarding private schools, parents must do their due diligence before sending their children there, because many have adopted Common Core, “woke” ideology, and even government-school textbooks. Before trusting anyone with your children, make sure to ask the right questions. There are thousands of wonderful options. But there are many that are hardly better than the government’s indoctrination centers.
Such a narrow approach may sound extreme and difficult, even unrealistic. But considering how radical and harmful public education has become, it’s reckless to leave children in public schools. Their intellectual and emotional wellbeing are at stake. Any value or convenience that public education brings is far overshadowed by the permanent damage it causes.
Are These the Only Options?
If we are to remain true to the goal—to raise responsible, moral, intelligent pro-America adults—the reality is that any option that has any government strings attached is a non-starter. That only leaves homeschooling and vetted private schools. Even the options of charter schools and school vouchers are ill-advised.
While charter schools and school vouchers have shown some positive academic results, it doesn’t meet the criteria of no-government-strings-attached. Charter schools are government schools playing under different rules. The latitude that legislatures give charter schools can just as easily be taken away as a result of one election.
Vouchers, usually financed with state tax dollars, give parents funding and allow them to use it for the school of their choice, or to buy education resources that are best for their children. Some states have scholarship accounts for qualifying students. Parents can use those funds to pay tuition to a private school, purchase education services, or pay for homeschool expenses. The downside is that school vouchers are still controlled by government, and therefore subject to government regulation. Therein lies the rub with voucher programs.
For parents who don’t know how to begin accessing non-public school options, Public School Exit is a great resource. Please take time today and visit PublicSchoolExit.com.