Iowa Gov. Kimberly Reynolds has proposed a number of education reforms that promise more choices for parents and students. She proposes giving families the state’s share of per-student spending if they opt out of government schools. The money could be used for private schools, tutoring textbooks, and more. After coming close to passing a school choice bill last year, Reynolds has made school choice her first priority. At least in regard to education policy, Reynolds knows that it is about the individual.
A growing number of governors and legislators across the nation are supporting school choice. Unfortunately, many embrace the same collectivist premises as the defenders of government schools. For example, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, among others, claims that vouchers and education savings plans are a part of “parents’ rights.” While this might sound appealing, there is no such thing as “parents’ rights.” There are only individual rights, and they apply to all individuals, including parents.
To speak of “parents’ rights” is to imply that parents have rights that are separate and distinct from the rights of non-parents. Each individual—parent or non-parent—has the same rights-. Each individual has the right to live his life as he deems best, so long as he respects the freedom of others to do the same.
When it comes to school choice, Reynolds seems to reject collectivism. In her annual Condition of the State address, she said, “Every child is an individual who deserves an education tailored to their unique needs, and parents are in the best position to identify the right environment” for that to occur. While this may appear to be an issue of semantics, there is a world of difference between using collectivist terms like “parents’ rights” and talking about individuals.
To illustrate this difference, using standardized test results, government school advocates claim that those schools do a better job of educating than private schools. The supporters of school choice claim that private schools are better. The studies that each side cites look only at one group or another, such as fourth graders. But this tells us nothing about the individual. We don’t know how Jerry, Juanita, or Kendrick performed on the test. To their parents, how Jerry, Juanita, and Kendrick performed is far more important than the aggregate score of fourth graders. Parents know that it’s about the individual—their child. It is time for politicians to understand that.
School choice isn’t about “parent’s rights.” It’s about the individual student.