Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Allow parents to choose which schools children attend.

Funding should follow the child.

Schools should compete:

Competition brings out the best in people due to a desire to innovate and earn esteem of others.

Lack of competition breeds waste and mediocrity.

Empower school leaders:

Principals and other school leaders should be free to create programs they feel will be most beneficial to students and parents.

Empower teachers:

School choice would free teachers from their current dependency on teachers unions, allowing them to act as true professionals.

Give parents adequate funding with incentives:

Parents in need of financial assistance should receive sufficient public funding that allows them to choose high quality schools and incentives to choose more efficient and lower priced schools.

Allow schools to succeed or to fail:

Reward success and penalize failure.

Preserve the autonomy of private schools.

Teach democratic values:

The failure of most public schools to teach civics and democratic values is a compelling reason to adopt school choice.

All parents should be free to choose:

The goal should be to allow every parent to choose, require every school to compete and give every child the opportunity to receive an education at a safe and effective school.

It's best to phase in and introduce incrementally to allow for smoother transition and timelier problem solving.

Guidelines from the Heartland Institute Education series.

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