Op/Ed: I agree with Rokita. Parents have rights when it comes to their child's education.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office is right: Parents do “have a constitutional right to direct the upbringing and education of [their] child in the manner [they] see fit.”

University of Indianapolis Assistant Professor Sarah J. Reynolds’ recently argued in her opinion for the IndyStar, there is a collective community responsibility “to ensure that children’s education is not determined by or dependent on the whims of a few,” but to prepare them to be “independent, free-thinking citizens beyond their parents’ control and vision.

While she is right that children need to be critical thinkers, it is important to note that the modern education system created in the 1800s was built to nearly stifle critical-thinking. Second of all, parents should cultivate critical thinking skills in their children. As Supreme Court Justice James C. McReynolds wrote in Pierce v. Society of Sisters, “The child is not the mere creature of the state."

The modern education system stems from an ideology that inhibits freedom of thought or diversity. Horace Mann, the “Father of American Education” created the concept of the Common School in the 1800s with a goal of creating a uniform education system for the purpose of having “political stability and social harmony.”

However, this system stifles diversity of thought and creativity. Mann’s ideas were developed during a time when different skill sets were in demand for employment.

Children's rights in education: Op/Ed: Parents' rights debate missing key piece: Kids' right to learn to be free thinkers.

In the 1950s, the skills in highest demand were the ability to work independently for long periods of time, memory for instructions and mathematics computation. Today, the skills high in demand are critical thinking, problem solving and creativity. The education system needs to catch up with the workforce and the real world.

It is widely agreed every child deserves an education that works best for them, and parental involvement is crucial when it comes to shaping those decisions.

According to a 2018 study by the Reboot Foundation, 48% of parents believe they should be responsible for nurturing critical thinking, while 41% believe it is up to educators and 22% say it should be up to children. It is up to the parents to ensure their children have critical thinking skills, not just for school, but when they go out into the world.

When it comes to critical thinking, there are many education methods that champion it.

Having met with many microschools, learning pods and other innovative methods of education around the country that prepare children to be free-thinkers, I have seen parental involvement. Even those education methods that do not directly involve parents still recommend parents ask their children what they are learning in school.

In fact, Indiana has several of these innovative schools, such as the decentralized system of Wildflower Schools and Acton Academies, as well as the faith-based Redeemer Classical School. The state also has public charter schools, providing “innovative and creative educational choices for families” and private schools.

Indiana also recently expanded its Choice Scholarship Program to cover 98% of all students in the state so parents can decide how to direct their children’s education. This includes sending their children to schools that encourage students how to think instead of what to think.

The modern education system also teaches children divisive ideologies, making it appear as if they are forced to think that way instead of how to think.

It is vital for children to build critical thinking skills, but that will not happen in the modern education system. It is time for parents to step up to find an education that will foster that environment.

Now more than ever, it is imperative to bring innovation to the classrooms of Indiana and the rest of the country, as well as give access to more options in education for all children to develop critical thinking skills.

Frances Floresca is an education policy analyst and reporter who has worked in Washington, D.C., and with various states. Floresca was cited in the 2021 Republican Study Committee’s budget proposal to Congress and has been featured in a variety of publications including the Washington Examiner, InsideSources and America’s Future. 

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Modern education system doesn't foster critical thinking; parents do.