School Choice Empowers Families

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, Monday marks the beginning of National School Choice Week, a time to celebrate and explore the various education options available to students and parents.

Education is the cornerstone of opportunity in America, and we must spare no effort in laying the foundation for our students to prosper. Educational freedom is essential in these efforts and begets success for America's children while offering parents the resources to support their child's future.

No two students are the same, but that is the strength of school choice: empowering students and their families to select the environment that best supports their individual goals and specific needs.

Rather than assigning students to schools based solely on their ZIP Code, school choice places students and parents back where they belong, at the helm of decisionmaking concerning education.

Options like innovative charter schools, magnet schools, homeschooling, and scholarship programs personalize education and have revived new hope and opportunities for countless American families.

I would like to take a moment to commend and reflect on the progress achieved by the school choice movement in the last year. 2023 was a monumental year for expanding school choice across the country. A record 20 States implemented programs or legislation to make education alternatives available for millions of students.

Through these initiatives, these States have reasserted the rights of American parents to play a central role in selecting and pursuing the education model they believe suits their child.

I am proud to highlight that my home State of North Carolina was among these pioneer States and became the ninth State to pass universal school choice legislation. North Carolina and the 19 other States that passed legislation are amazing examples of putting students first.

However, too many of our Nation's students are kept from realizing their full potential because they do not have access to a high-quality education. The uncomfortable truth is that the one-size-fits-all approach to education is harming our students.

America invests over $800 billion into education, yet the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress found that reading scores declined to their lowest level since 1992, and math scores saw their largest decline since the initial 1990 assessment.

On the other hand, education choice has been proven to improve student achievement, attainment, and even character development.

We must fund students, not systems.

School choice puts education funding directly into the hands of parents. By allowing parents the discretion to use the funds already allocated for their child's education as they see fit, school choice ensures that students and schools are well matched and taxpayer dollars are used responsibly for programs and institutions that produce the best outcomes for students.

We were sent to Congress to represent the will of the American people, and 71 percent of Americans support school choice, according to recent polling.

I am proud of the advancements made for the parents who now have the rightful say in their child's education and for the students who can now unlock their full capabilities regardless of their financial situation, home address, or learning needs.

The next challenge we face is extending the promise of school choice to all 50 States. As Chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce Committee, I am committed to promoting high-quality education for all Americans.

Madam Speaker, I wish everyone a happy National School Choice Week, and I look forward to celebrating more progress and milestones in 2024.

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