If there’s one issue that unites parents across our country, it’s concern for their children’s education. Parents understand that a great education is essential to building a successful life and achieving the American dream.
This week, Betsy DeVos was confirmed as our country’s next Secretary of Education, ushering in what should be an exciting new era for America’s parents, local educators and students. Betsy is a committed education reformer who has helped improve education outcomes for countless kids across this country. Unfortunately, her confirmation was marred by the politically motivated dissemination of misinformation and endless scare tactics designed to discredit Betsy and pit her against America’s parents.
Rest assured, the political smear campaign against Betsy speaks to the undying allegiance of the education establishment to the status quo – not to Betsy DeVos’ commitment to children. I have worked with Betsy DeVos. I have witnessed first-hand her dedication to students and to making our education system better for everyone it touches – children, parents, teachers, administrators and employers. With Betsy at the helm of our Education Department, families will have more of a voice than ever before, and our schools will be better for it.
The facts regarding America’s schools lead to only one conclusion: there must be change. Over the last thirty-five years, the federal government’s investment in K-12 education has grown by 400 percent. On average, we spend more than $10,615 per child for a year of public school.
Unfortunately, increases in spending have not in any way equated to results for students. Rather, the performance of our students continues to lag, with U.S. students underperforming in math, science and reading when compared to students in 65 other countries and economies. Less than half of U.S. high school graduates who took the ACT in 2016 met the college-prepared benchmark in at least three of the four core tested subjects. Worse yet, 34 percent of high school graduates didn’t meet any of the benchmarks.
America’s education system is leaving many teachers uninspired in their classrooms and students unprepared for their futures. Betsy DeVos has dedicated her life to changing this trajectory, not accepting and settling for more of the same.
The policies Betsy advocates are not new or radical. Very simply, Betsy seeks to empower parents and students to choose the education that’s best for them. Many states, including my home state of Indiana, have embraced these student-focused reforms with tremendous success.
In Indiana, Betsy DeVos helped local leaders advance an all-of-the-above approach to education that gives students access to a robust network of public, private, charter, magnet and virtual schools. More than 200,000 Hoosier families benefit from these reforms, including 75,000 students who utilize Indiana’s open enrollment policy to attend a public school outside of their zip code, 30,000 kids who can now afford private school, and thousands of families who have chosen public charter schools.
The idea that school choice policies are an assault on public schools and out-of-touch with public opinion is simply false. In fact, twenty-nine out of 30 empirical studies on the impact of school choice on public schools concluded that choice improved the performance of nearby public schools. Moreover, parents overwhelmingly affirm that they want a say in where their children attend school. A recent public opinion poll of likely November 2018 voters (including Republicans and Democrats) shows that nearly 80 percent of respondents support the concept of school choice.
The real threat to our education system is that, in urban and rural communities alike, there are students trapped in failing schools with no way out. Half a million kids across our country are on wait-lists to attend a local charter school. No kid deserves to have his or her future “waitlisted.” No child’s access to educational opportunities should be determined by zip code or economic status.
Betsy DeVos is one of the strongest advocates for students and parents the Education Department has seen. The establishment attacked and tried to silence her, and she kept fighting, because she knows the stakes for are too high for America’s children and families. I am confident she will deliver real reforms for America’s schools, empower parents with options and help ensure every child in America has the chance to succeed.
Congressman Luke Messer represents the people of Indiana’s 6th congressional district.