Education is the hot topic of the day. Some believe children should be well-versed in the social justice issues of the day and see the world through the lens of critical theory. Others believe children should be well-equipped with literacy and numeracy skills and see the opportunities available to everyone in America. Some believe that schools should influence and shape students to be activists. Others believe that schools should cultivate an appreciation and pursuit of virtue, beauty, and truth in order to become the best individual and citizen they can be. Some believe in teaching reading and writing using programs with little evidence of success. Others believe in teaching those skills using the Science of Reading which has decades of research supporting it. Some believe math is subjective. Others appreciate that math is objective and does not change according to current opinions. Some believe that schools should counsel students in gender theory and introduce them to topics relating to sexuality as early as elementary school. Others believe parents are the primary custodian and authority of their children and only they have the right to determine when and how those topics should be introduced and discussed.
It seems we have reached an impasse. There are clearly strong opinions regarding how our children should be educated. This may seem like a hopeless situation, but it is not. By funding students not systems, we can allow families, not the government, to choose the best learning environment for their children. Every family is different. Every child is unique. Believing that a one-size-fits-all system can be effective in educating the next generation is wishful thinking and impractical. Now, more than ever, Kentucky needs school choice. I look forward to watching our legislators make this happen for families and students across the Commonwealth.
Beanie Geoghegan is the director of the Kentucky Chapter for No Left Turn in Education.
