Families need educational choice to help their children to succeed

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We are at the start of another school year, and millions of parents will be walking their children through challenges ranging from crayons to calculus. While families are facing homework, housework, and managing life, there is another challenge that looms in the background: access to school choice.

I know from personal experience the importance and power of access to a quality education. As I advocate school choice, I believe it is important to understand that I don’t view this issue as a fight between public versus private schools or Christian versus non-Christian schools. This is not a battle against anything; rather, it is a battle for something.

School choice has sparked fierce debate on both ends of the political spectrum, with parents and children getting caught in the middle. The sad reality is that while political officials are arguing with each other over educational choice, families are stuck in an education system that, in many cases, is failing them. In the wake of the pandemic, students across the board are suffering from learning loss because of public school closures, and students from low-income households were affected the most. It is estimated that students from low-income schools are 13 months behind their counterparts. That is unacceptable. Families deserve the option to leave a school that has left their children straggling behind.

As I was growing up, I experienced many of the same challenges that families today are facing. I moved four times by the fourth grade, so we didn’t have the opportunity to pick the best school. That’s why I advocate having good schools everywhere. Low- and middle-income families deserve every avenue to access the American dream for their children, and education is the first step on that road. And no one knows better than parents what their children need to succeed, especially when it comes to their education.

The polling data on this are clear: Parents want choices. A recent poll shows that school choice is overwhelmingly popular with white, black, Hispanic, and Asian parents. And these parents aren’t just voicing their opinions in polls — they are showing us with their feet. Since 2020, more than 1 million students have left public schools.

These parents deserve options that best suit the needs of their children. This isn’t an issue they can put on pause and come back to at a more opportune time. A lack of options now can have severe consequences for the future. We cannot afford to put educational opportunities on the back burner for our most vulnerable children. That’s why I’ve worked on legislation to provide assistance for children dealing with learning loss, provide incentives for additional scholarship funds for K-12 students, and eliminate barriers for families seeking to find the school that best fits their children’s needs.

One of the unique pleasures of being a U.S. senator is that I get to travel across my state and hear the personal stories of families from all different types of neighborhoods and communities. I have had the chance to talk with single-parent, two-parent, and even grandparent-led households, and I’ve discovered some common threads as these families are working to provide a life for their children. A mother that I spoke with at Meeting Street Academy in Charleston, South Carolina, summed up the sentiment perfectly when she told me that parents always want for their children to achieve more and become more successful than they are. That’s why parents work tirelessly not only to put food on the table but sit at that same table to look over homework and help with projects.

For parents, education is not just confined to the walls of a school building. Parents are a child’s first teachers. Whether it’s teaching them to walk or say their first words, parents have the power to spark imagination and set their children on a powerful trajectory. That influence doesn’t end once the child enters the classroom. The guidance, direction, and opportunities that a parent exposes their child to are extremely important. Just as I was inspired by my grandfather years ago, watching him sit at the table and read through the newspaper, children today follow the lead of the adults in their lives.

Parents are consistently conscious of the examples they set for their children. Their role in education is undeniable. Without a strong, guiding hand from my mother, I would be the kid who flunked four classes his freshman year of high school and was then lost to the system instead of a U.S. senator.

Just like my mama when I was growing up, parents today still want the best for their children. They know that if you get even slightly behind in education, you are going to be way behind in life. They understand that while we may not start in the same place, a quality education is the great equalizer. If their student gets into a quality high school, the chances of attending a Clemson University, University of South Carolina, or Harvard College increase significantly. I’ve often said that education is the closest thing to magic. Parents have told me their firsthand experiences of that magic at work.

I believe in empowering parents to advocate for the future of their children and, by extension, the future of America. Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. It is the result of a partnership between parents and educators working together in the best interest of the children. The more choices parents have, the better chance their children have to succeed.

Tim Scott is a U.S. senator for South Carolina and has been a national leader on efforts to bring opportunity to every American family. As he continues to lead on the implementation of his signature Opportunity Zones legislation, Sen. Scott also plays a critical role in issues regarding workforce development, education, and diversity.

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