America’s education system is failing students from coast to coast, and for far too many there is no way out.

Thankfully, there is a growing educational choice movement seeking to provide parents with options for how their children are educated, but as political polarization increases so does the partisan nature of the issue.

At one time urban Democrats were champions of school choice as they saw the cost of failing public schools in their communities.

But as the Democrat Party has become fully controlled by the teacher’s unions, it is becoming less politically feasible for any Democrat lawmaker to break ranks with their party.

Sadly, many Republicans in rural parts of this country who believe their communities are immune to the nation’s education problem have also become opponents of the school choice movement in a form of short-sighted NIMBY-ism (Not In My Back Yard ism).

This is exactly what happened in Texas earlier this year when it was rural Republicans who torpedoed legislation that would have authorized the creation of education savings accounts which families could use to send their children to the school of their choice.

Our public-school system has become an institution for the propagation of “woke” and progressive ideology.

While school choice advocates hit a brick wall in Texas, they found success in Oklahoma and Nebraska where robust educational freedom became law.

On May 25th, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1934, which creates a system of universal school choice, providing a refundable tax credit based on income for parents to offset the cost of sending their children to a private school. It also creates a $1,000 tax credit for homeschooling families.

Nebraska’s School Choice bill (LB 753) passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Jim Pillen on May 30th.

There were several other states that saw solid school choice bills introduced as school choice activists continue their push to expand educational freedom in as many states as possible.

The dangers of the government education monopoly

Unnatural monopolies created by the government have proven time and again to be damaging to a nation’s economy.

It is no different when it comes to education.

Early twentieth century Presbyterian J. Gresham Machen was almost prophetic about the dangers of the American education system when he said, “A public-school system, if it means providing a free education for those who desire it, is a noteworthy achievement of modern times; but when once it becomes monopolistic it is the most perfect instrument for tyranny which has yet been devised.”

Our public-school system has become an institution for the propagation of “woke” and progressive ideology.

"A public-school system, if it means providing a free education for those who desire it, is a noteworthy achievement of modern times; but when once it becomes monopolistic it is the most perfect instrument for tyranny which has yet been devised.” — J. Gresham Machen

It’s not every school and it isn’t every teacher, but there is a disturbing trend as liberal activists become teachers and then force their ideology on students with little or no oversight from parents.

Many of these liberal activists show a clear intention to drive a wedge between students and their parents, leading to disastrous results for the education system, for the family, and for society at large.

Sadly, many parents concerned about the content or quality of their children’s education don’t have the means to send their children to a private school, or even to homeschool them. Hence the importance of the school choice movement.

Since the Covid-induced school shutdowns, parents have become much more aware of what their children are being taught and many are rightfully upset, turning out in droves to school board meetings nationwide.

We have seen countless school board members lose elections and even Democrat candidate for Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe lose after brazenly saying “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

Will this fervor persist into the 2024 election cycle leading to even greater reform to America’s education system?

We soon shall see.