Give parents, students a ‘bill of rights’ to assure education access, quality and transparency | Opinion
Two years into the pandemic, one thing has become abundantly clear: Far too many public education leaders and union bosses view the system as an entity they control, where parents’ and students’ needs come second to their own. As a result, no longer are we advancing the singular purpose of education: To give every child the skills and knowledge to unlock their potential.
Governors and state policymakers should enact a student and parents “bill of rights” that secures their right to access, quality and transparency.
Right now, teachers’ union leaders across the country are pursuing a national school shutdown. Despite science — and private schools — demonstrating time and again that in-person schooling can continue during a pandemic, these school leaders are refusing to listen to the demands of parents, and they are putting the education of students at risk.
But it doesn’t end there. Just this week the Michigan Democratic Party posted (then deleted) a statement refuting the right of parents to have a say over their child’s education. Saying in part, “The client of the public school is not the parent but the entire community, the public.” This same anti-parent sentiment reflects a similar message eschewed by Terry McAuliffe in his failed bid for governor of Virginia.
The message that parents don’t have primacy over their children and their education has been prevalent for years. It’s often led by academics, out-of-touch school board members and teachers union leaders who claim parents aren’t smart enough to choose a school for their child. But lately it’s been a message aimed at parents with children enrolled in their public school who are fed up with being ignored.
The power over our public schools is held by a select few who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Little to no power is in the hands of the constituents themselves: parents and their schoolchildren. And it’s surely contributed to the eroding trust and confidence Americans have with our nation’s education system. In this unfair system, and we must rewrite the rules that govern public education in America so that students and their families can exercise their rights.
Let’s start with three core rights:
▪ All students should have access to opportunities to learn.
▪ All students should have the right to a quality education.
▪ And all students and their families should have the right to transparency — to acquire accurate, timely and reliable information about their education.
What do those rights mean, and why do they matter?
First, every student deserves an equal opportunity to learn. Students, by default, should not be limited to their government-zoned school, dictated by their ZIP code rather than what is best for the individual student. It means state leaders should secure the right to access by making funding more flexible, whether it’s through part-time enrollment policies, private-school choice and expanded access to charter schools. Access to a good school shouldn’t be limited to families who can move to the “right” ZIP code or those who have the financial means to pay private tuition.
Second, everyone seems to define “quality” differently. Here’s a starting point: Every student should be able to read and do math at grade level, and they should be able to graduate on time, prepared for success after high school. If anyone in the education system thinks that’s asking too much, then they’re in the wrong line of work.
Nationally, 66% of fourth graders can’t read at grade level, and 60% can’t do math at grade level. Anywhere from 40% to 60% of high school graduates require remedial coursework when they get to college. When schools fail to deliver on this promise, parents should be notified, support plans must be put in place and student-centric solutions should be sought out.
Third, for too long, too many parents have had to fight to get vital information about their child’s education. Parents shouldn’t be treated as an outside party, forced to file freedom-of-information requests or sue their school district to obtain information about their child. Every parent should have a right to transparency, to know how and where education dollars are being spent on their child. They have a right to know how well their child’s school compares to nearby schools. And they have a right to know how well their child is doing, whether it’s on in-class assignments, what’s being taught, evaluations, the child’s grades, what credentials the teachers have and more.
Districts and schools should be expected to readily provide this information and not force parents to battle the bureaucracy to get it.
The right to access, quality and transparency are fundamental rights for education that every family in America deserves. Securing these rights are an immediate step toward providing a better education for every student.
Jeb Bush was the 43rd governor of Florida. He is founder and chairman of ExcelinEd.
