In Education Freedom, Politicians Play Catch Up As Parents Demand More

An education revolution is sweeping America. It’s been brewing for years, but it’s not politics that’s fueling the policy changes; it’s a shift in culture. For nearly 200 years, the U.S. education system has been built on a “factory model” that prized compulsion, standardization, and teaching to an average. In the 1800s, American schooling was aligned with the purposes of education and the nation’s economy. Today, the purpose of education has changed, but the system has remained the same.

According to a January 2023 study by the think tank Populace, most parents believe the purpose of education is to let students pursue an education that interests them and help students develop practical skills. Out of 57 items listed as the purpose of education in the survey, college preparation ranked near the bottom, at number 47. 

Despite the shift in purpose, most education reforms remain locked within a system aligned with outdated goals. Think of all the reforms passed since “A Nation at Risk” was published 40 years ago. Most have tinkered with the existing system – changing what is measured, changing rules, and increasing feedback loops and information flows. The introduction of school choice programs and charter schools more than 30 years ago allowed for controlled choice, where students move from one form of schooling (traditional public school) to another (private or charter), but these reforms operated within the same top-down, standardized approach that often sees college prep as the ultimate measure of success. 

Such options are vital, of course. Just visit New York City, where the waitlist is long to get a seat at Success Academy Charter Schools. Or Florida, where the state’s private school choice program for low-income families is often at capacity and has served more than one million students.

Along the way, though, we’ve failed to recognize that parents want a better experience – not just a different school. 

Changing big systems isn’t easy, but it can be done, and it requires looking beyond conventional reforms.

Environmental scientist Donella Meadows examined how big systems can change. In her book “Thinking in Systems: A Primer,” Meadows identified 12 “leverage points” for changing a system. Practical and structural changes can be useful and achievable, but most important is the “power to change the system’s goals” through culture – which also happens to be the hardest change to accomplish. But that is what’s happening now in education. 

During the pandemic, parents saw firsthand what was being taught (or not taught) in the schools, and they saw their children struggling. Some families found micro-schools and new, engaging learning environments. A 2022 report by the Center for Reinventing Public Education found that parents and instructors who had tried micro-schools or learning pods enjoyed the experience and strongly favored continuing these learning experiences. And the Populace survey found 71 percent of parents believe more things should change than remain the same in the education system. 

Now, politicians are playing catch up.

Historically, all education funds are directed to public schools, where families are required to send their children to receive a publicly funded education. But over the past two years, education savings accounts (ESAs) have taken off in popularity. ESAs direct education funds to families, not schools; families can use the funds to pay for a variety of educational expenses, such as private school tuition, tutoring, online courses, books, tablets, and other tools. 

Last year, four states enacted new ESA programs, and over a third of states pursued similar legislation. This year, Utah and Iowa have already passed education savings accounts programs, and 29 others are pursuing similar legislation that’s helping transform the way education is delivered to students.

Consistent with what Meadows’s work on system change tells us, the cultural shift in personalized learning that we’re witnessing is driving politicians to pass new laws to reflect this changing reality.

This shift in culture is not without its challenges. The traditional public school system continues to operate a monopoly – receiving billions in education funding and using compulsory attendance laws to guarantee enrollment.

But the movement underway offers a positive vision, in which all students can obtain a quality education that speaks to their interests, meets their needs, and gives them the knowledge and skills to live meaningful lives. This is a future that we should all work toward – one that trusts students, celebrates innovation, and aligns our nation’s education system with what parents want.