Education, School Choice, and Failing Schools

Thinking Biblically About Children, Parents, Schools, Educational Opportunity, Accountability, and the Role of Government

Education shapes much more than what happens inside a classroom.

A child’s ability to read, write, calculate, reason, communicate, understand history, evaluate information, develop useful skills, and continue learning can influence that child’s entire future.

Education affects employment.

Income.

Citizenship.

Family stability.

Economic opportunity.

The ability to understand contracts and financial decisions.

The ability to participate responsibly in government.

And the ability to provide for oneself and one’s family.

For Christians, education also raises an even more fundamental question:

Who is responsible for the upbringing and education of children?

Parents?

Schools?

Teachers?

Churches?

Communities?

Government?

The answer is not that only one of these matters.

But they do not all have the same responsibility.

Parents have a unique responsibility for their children.

Teachers have important responsibilities toward their students.

Communities benefit from educated citizens.

Government has long played a significant role in providing and regulating education.

And churches have responsibilities for spiritual teaching and formation.

Difficult questions arise when these responsibilities overlap—or when one of these institutions fails.

What happens when a child’s assigned public school consistently fails to educate its students?

Should parents be able to choose another school?

Should public money follow the child?

What about the children who remain in the struggling school?

Should families with enough money be able to escape a failing school while poor families cannot?

What responsibilities do parents have for attendance, behavior, homework, and learning?

How much does school funding matter?

How much do teachers matter?

What about school leadership?

Discipline?

Family stability?

Poverty?

Special education?

School safety?

Curriculum?

Charter schools?

Magnet schools?

Private schools?

Christian schools?

Homeschooling?

Vouchers?

Education savings accounts?

Open enrollment?

These questions can become intensely political.

But Christians should begin somewhere deeper than political party.

We should begin by asking:

What helps children learn, grow in wisdom, develop character, and prepare for responsible adulthood?

Diverse group of school-age children learning with a teacher in a welcoming classroom while parents participate in their children's education.

Every child deserves a meaningful opportunity to learn, and parents, teachers, schools, communities, and government each have responsibilities in helping children prepare for adulthood.

Children Are Entrusted to Parents

Scripture places the primary responsibility for raising children upon parents.

Moses instructed God’s people:

“You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” — Deuteronomy 6:7 (NASB 1995)

The immediate subject is teaching God’s commandments.

But the principle is important.

Parents are not passive observers in the formation of their children.

They are responsible for teaching.

Guiding.

Correcting.

Nurturing.

Protecting.

And preparing their children for adulthood.

A school can assist parents enormously.

A teacher can profoundly influence a child.

But parents do not cease to be responsible simply because their child enters a classroom.

Education Is Larger Than School

School and education are not exactly the same thing.

A child is being educated whenever he or she is learning how to understand the world.

Parents educate.

Teachers educate.

Churches educate.

Books educate.

Friends educate.

Television educates.

Social media educates.

Culture educates.

Life experiences educate.

Some of that education is intentional.

Some is not.

That is one reason parental involvement matters so much.

Parents should know what their children are learning, who is influencing them, what ideas they are encountering, how they are progressing academically, and what kind of character is being formed.

Education should never be something parents simply hand over to someone else and stop thinking about.

Public Education Serves an Important Civic Purpose

Public schools educate millions of children from families with widely different backgrounds, incomes, beliefs, abilities, and circumstances.

They prepare future workers.

Voters.

Parents.

Business owners.

Public servants.

Professionals.

Tradespeople.

Community leaders.

And neighbors.

A society has a legitimate interest in having citizens who can read, reason, understand basic mathematics, know something about history and government, and participate responsibly in civic life.

Public education can also provide opportunities to children whose families could never afford private education.

Christians should therefore be careful about casually dismissing public schools as though they have no value.

Many excellent teachers, administrators, coaches, counselors, aides, and other employees serve children faithfully every day.

Many Christians work in public schools and view that work as a calling.

But Not Every Public School Is Succeeding

Acknowledging the importance of public education does not require pretending every public school is successful.

Some schools produce excellent academic results.

Others struggle year after year.

Some students reach high school unable to read proficiently.

Some graduate without the mathematics, writing, financial literacy, or practical skills needed for adulthood.

Some schools struggle with chronic absenteeism.

Violence.

Discipline.

Teacher turnover.

Poor leadership.

Low expectations.

Family instability.

Drug problems.

Inadequate resources.

Or a culture in which learning has become extremely difficult.

When a school consistently fails to educate children, Christians should be willing to say:

Something must change.

Protecting an institution should never become more important than educating the children the institution exists to serve.

A Child Has Only One Childhood

This point is especially important.

Adults can debate school reform for decades.

A child cannot wait decades.

A child who enters first grade this year will never again be a first grader.

A fourth grader reading at a first-grade level cannot simply wait while adults argue about whose fault the problem is.

A teenager approaching graduation without basic skills is running out of time.

This creates urgency.

Long-term school reform matters.

But parents must also make decisions about the child standing in front of them today.

That is one of the strongest arguments behind school choice.

What Is School Choice?

School choice is a broad term describing policies or arrangements that allow families alternatives to the public school assigned according to their home address.

Those alternatives can include traditional public schools outside the assigned zone.

Magnet schools.

Charter schools.

Private schools.

Christian schools.

Homeschooling.

Virtual schools.

Open-enrollment programs.

Education savings accounts.

Scholarships.

Voucher programs.

And other arrangements.

These options are not identical.

They have different funding structures.

Different accountability systems.

Different admission requirements.

Different educational philosophies.

And different advantages and disadvantages.

Christians should therefore avoid discussing school choice as though it were one single policy.

We should examine the actual proposal.

Wealthy Families Already Have School Choice

This is one of the realities that should be acknowledged.

Families with sufficient financial resources often already have choices.

They can purchase a home in a neighborhood with highly rated public schools.

Pay private-school tuition.

Hire tutors.

Provide transportation.

Homeschool.

Move to another community.

Or supplement a struggling school with additional educational resources.

Poor families may have far fewer options.

A parent may know that the assigned school is not meeting a child’s needs and still have no practical alternative.

That raises an important question of fairness:

Should a child’s educational options depend largely upon the income of the child’s parents or the ZIP code in which the family can afford to live?

School-choice advocates often argue that lower-income parents should have some of the same ability to choose that wealthier parents already possess.

That argument deserves serious consideration.

But School Choice Also Raises Legitimate Questions

Allowing families to leave a struggling school does not automatically fix the struggling school.

What happens to the children who remain?

What happens when motivated families leave?

How are public schools funded when enrollment declines?

Should private schools receiving public funds be subject to additional requirements?

How much government oversight should accompany taxpayer money?

Can participating schools select students?

How are students with disabilities served?

What transportation is available?

Can rural families realistically exercise the same choices as families in large cities?

What happens if a private or charter school performs poorly?

These are legitimate questions.

Supporting parental choice does not require ignoring them.

The Child Should Be at the Center

Education debates frequently become battles among institutions and political interests.

School districts.

Teachers’ organizations.

Politicians.

Parents’ groups.

Private schools.

Charter-school advocates.

Taxpayer organizations.

Religious groups.

Education companies.

All may have interests in education policy.

But the institution is not the ultimate purpose of education.

The child is the person being educated.

A helpful question is:

If we designed this policy primarily around what gives children the best realistic opportunity to learn, what would we do?

That does not answer every question.

But it helps put priorities in the right order.

Parents Should Have Meaningful Responsibility and Authority

Responsibility without authority is difficult.

If parents are responsible for raising and educating their children, they should ordinarily have meaningful authority to make decisions concerning that education.

Parents should be able to ask:

Is my child learning?

Is my child safe?

Is this educational environment appropriate?

What is being taught?

What are the school’s expectations?

What alternatives exist?

What does my particular child need?

Parental authority is not unlimited.

Children have rights and interests.

Schools must maintain order.

Government has legitimate responsibilities.

Parents can make poor decisions.

But treating parents as though they have little legitimate voice in their own children’s education creates another serious problem.

Parents should ordinarily be partners in education, not obstacles to it.

Parental Choice Also Requires Parental Responsibility

School choice should not be understood simply as:

“I should get whatever school I want.”

Parents have responsibilities too.

Get children to school.

Encourage attendance.

Make education important at home.

Read with young children.

Know whether homework is being completed.

Attend conferences when possible.

Respond when teachers contact them.

Address serious behavioral problems.

Set reasonable limits on phones, games, entertainment, and social media.

Encourage effort.

Teach respect for teachers and classmates.

And recognize when their own child is contributing to a problem.

A parent cannot reasonably demand excellent education while showing no concern about whether a child attends school or does the work.

School accountability and parental accountability belong together.

Accountability Is Needed at Every Level

Improving education cannot mean holding only one group responsible.

Accountability must exist from the top down—and from the home up.

Government officials have responsibilities.

State and local school boards have responsibilities.

Superintendents have responsibilities.

Principals have responsibilities.

Teachers have responsibilities.

Parents have responsibilities.

And as children mature, students themselves have increasing responsibilities.

If we demand accountability from only one of these groups while excusing everyone else, educational problems are unlikely to improve.

Children Need to Come to School Ready to Learn

Schools have a responsibility to provide an environment in which children can learn.

Parents have a responsibility to prepare their children to participate in that environment.

Children need adequate sleep.

They need to attend school consistently and arrive on time.

They need appropriate food, clothing, supplies, and medical attention to the extent parents are able to provide them.

They need to learn that teachers and other legitimate authorities should be treated with respect.

They need to understand that classrooms have rules.

They need to learn that other children also have a right to learn.

And as children grow older, they need to accept increasing responsibility for their own choices, behavior, effort, and schoolwork.

No school can completely compensate for children repeatedly arriving exhausted, absent, unprepared, disruptive, or convinced that teachers have no legitimate authority.

That does not mean every struggling child has irresponsible parents.

Families may be dealing with poverty, illness, disability, family crisis, unstable housing, transportation problems, abuse, or circumstances beyond their control.

Those families may need additional help.

But compassion for difficult circumstances should not require us to abandon reasonable expectations.

Children benefit when the adults around them communicate clearly:

Education matters.

Attendance matters.

Effort matters.

Behavior matters.

Respect matters.

Learning matters.

Parents Have a Responsibility to Know Whether Their Child Is Learning

A report card should not be the first time a parent discovers that a child is struggling.

Parents should ask questions.

Can my child read at the expected level?

Does my child understand basic mathematics?

Is homework being completed?

Is my child attending regularly?

Is behavior interfering with learning?

Has the teacher expressed concerns?

Does my child need tutoring?

Does my child need additional evaluation?

Could there be a learning disability?

A vision or hearing problem?

A language difficulty?

An emotional or behavioral problem?

Is something happening at home?

Is the instruction inadequate?

Is the child simply not doing the work?

When a child is not succeeding, the first response should not automatically be to blame the teacher, the parent, the child, or the school.

The first question should be:

Why?

Then the adults responsible for that child should work together to find the answer.

We Should Identify Problems Early

A child who cannot read proficiently in the early grades needs attention then—not years later.

A child who does not understand foundational mathematics will have increasing difficulty as new lessons depend upon skills never mastered.

Academic problems can accumulate.

One missing skill becomes another.

Then another.

Eventually a student may be sitting in a classroom several grade levels behind.

By that point, catching up becomes much more difficult.

Schools and parents should therefore take early warning signs seriously.

Assessment should not exist merely to produce numbers for a report.

It should help answer:

What does this child know?

What has this child not yet learned?

Why is the child struggling?

What should we do next?

Moving a Child Forward Does Not Mean the Child Has Learned

Promoting a student to the next grade can solve an administrative problem without solving the child’s educational problem.

If a child cannot read material at the current grade level, moving that child into increasingly difficult material does not make the missing skills disappear.

The same is true in mathematics and other subjects that build upon earlier knowledge.

At some point, simply moving a student forward can become harmful.

The child may reach middle school or high school unable to perform work expected years earlier.

Eventually the student may receive a diploma without possessing the skills that diploma is supposed to represent.

That helps no one.

It does not help the student.

It does not help future teachers.

It does not help employers.

And it does not strengthen public confidence in education.

Retaining a Student Is Also a Serious Decision

At the same time, simply making a child repeat a grade is not automatically the answer.

Repeating the same year with the same approach may not solve the underlying problem.

If a student is retained, there should be a reason and a plan.

What skills are missing?

What additional instruction will be provided?

Does the student need intensive reading help?

Tutoring?

Summer instruction?

Specialized evaluation?

Different teaching methods?

Additional family support?

A disability assessment?

Simply saying “repeat the grade” without addressing why the student fell behind may only repeat the problem.

The goal is not punishment.

The goal is mastery and learning.

A Diploma Should Mean Something

Graduation should represent accomplishment.

A high-school diploma should communicate that a student has reached meaningful educational standards.

Lowering standards may increase graduation statistics without improving students’ lives.

A student who graduates unable to read instructions, complete basic mathematics, communicate effectively, or understand essential information may discover very quickly that the world beyond school does not adjust expectations in the same way.

Employers have expectations.

Colleges have expectations.

Technical programs have expectations.

The military has expectations.

Adult responsibilities have expectations.

Compassion does not mean giving young people credentials for skills they have never developed.

Compassion means doing everything reasonably possible to help them develop those skills before they leave school.

Accountability Must Reach the Top Too

Parents and students should not carry all the responsibility.

If large numbers of children in a school or district consistently fail to reach reasonable academic standards, leadership must answer difficult questions.

What is happening?

Is the curriculum effective?

Are teachers adequately supported?

Is discipline being maintained?

Are resources reaching classrooms?

Are administrators responding to known problems?

Are struggling students identified early?

Are successful approaches being expanded?

Are ineffective programs being continued because changing them is politically difficult?

Are taxpayers being told clearly what results their schools are producing?

Accountability cannot stop with the child sitting at the desk.

It must reach the adults making decisions at every level.

Accountability Should Lead to Action

Accountability is not merely finding someone to blame.

It means identifying responsibility and doing something about the problem.

If a child is not doing the work, address it.

If parents are not fulfilling responsibilities they reasonably can fulfill, challenge and support them.

If a teacher is struggling, provide appropriate support and accountability.

If a principal is ineffective, address leadership.

If a program does not work, reconsider it.

If funding is inadequate for an essential need, examine it.

If money is being wasted, stop wasting it.

If discipline policies make classrooms impossible to manage, change them.

If students cannot read, intervene.

If a school repeatedly fails, do not simply rename programs and continue indefinitely.

Accountability asks:

What is wrong?

Who has responsibility?

What needs to change?

Did the change work?

And if it did not:

What do we do next?

Children have only one opportunity to grow through these years.

Adults owe them more than excuses.

Teachers Cannot Do Everything

Teachers have enormous influence.

Good teachers can change lives.

But teachers cannot solve every social problem that enters the classroom.

A teacher may be responsible for twenty, twenty-five, or thirty students with widely different abilities and needs.

Some students may have strong family support.

Others may experience homelessness.

Hunger.

Family conflict.

Abuse.

Parental addiction.

Language barriers.

Learning disabilities.

Chronic absenteeism.

Severe behavioral problems.

Or little academic support outside school.

Teachers should be held to appropriate professional standards.

But blaming teachers for every poor educational outcome is neither accurate nor fair.

Schools cannot completely replace healthy families and communities.

Good Teachers Deserve Support

A school cannot succeed without capable teachers.

Teachers need appropriate training.

Clear expectations.

Effective leadership.

Reasonable classroom discipline.

Useful curriculum.

Necessary materials.

Professional accountability.

And support when serious problems occur.

Good teachers should not be driven from the profession because schools refuse to address violence, chronic disruption, or impossible working conditions.

At the same time, protecting adults should not make it impossible to address consistently ineffective teaching.

Both teachers and students deserve systems in which excellence is recognized and serious failure can be addressed.

School Leadership Matters

Principals and administrators influence school culture.

Expectations matter.

Discipline matters.

Teacher support matters.

Hiring matters.

Communication matters.

Academic priorities matter.

A strong leader can help improve a struggling school.

Poor leadership can damage a good one.

When evaluating failing schools, we should therefore look beyond simplistic explanations.

The problem may not be only funding.

Or only teachers.

Or only parents.

Leadership and organizational culture can matter greatly.

Discipline and Safety Matter

Children cannot learn well in classrooms dominated by chaos.

Teachers cannot teach effectively if a small number of students repeatedly disrupt instruction.

Students should be treated fairly.

Discipline should not be cruel or arbitrary.

Children with disabilities may require appropriate accommodations and specialized responses.

But compassion for a disruptive student should also include compassion for the other students whose education is being interrupted.

School safety is part of educational opportunity.

Children should not have to accept violence, bullying, intimidation, or constant disorder as the price of attending school.

Poverty Can Affect Education

Children do not arrive at school with identical circumstances.

One child may have:

A quiet bedroom.

Books.

Internet access.

Two involved parents.

Reliable transportation.

Nutritious food.

Private tutoring.

And adults with time to help with homework.

Another may live in crowded housing.

Move frequently.

Share a bedroom.

Lack reliable internet.

Experience food insecurity.

Care for younger siblings.

Have an absent parent.

Or live with chronic family instability.

These differences can affect educational outcomes.

Recognizing them does not mean poor children cannot succeed.

They can and do.

It means schools, churches, communities, and policymakers should understand the barriers some children face.

High expectations and compassion can coexist.

Expectations Matter Too

Concern about disadvantage should never become an excuse for expecting less from children.

A child from a poor family is capable of learning.

A child raised by a single parent is capable of learning.

A child from a struggling neighborhood is capable of learning.

A child whose parents did not attend college is capable of learning.

Compassion should provide additional help when needed.

It should not communicate:

“We do not expect very much from you because of where you came from.”

Children need people who believe they can grow.

Money Matters—but Money Is Not the Only Measure

Education costs money.

Teachers must be paid.

Buildings maintained.

Transportation provided.

Technology purchased.

Special-education services funded.

Books and materials supplied.

Security provided.

Facilities heated and cooled.

Adequate resources matter.

But spending more money does not automatically guarantee better education.

Two school systems can spend similar amounts and achieve different results.

Therefore, taxpayers and parents should be able to ask:

What are students learning?

The question should not only be:

How much did we spend?

It should also be:

What did the spending accomplish?

Educational Spending Is Stewardship

Public education uses taxpayer resources.

That makes stewardship important.

Money should reach classrooms and educational needs effectively.

Waste should be reduced.

Contracts should be transparent.

Administrative costs should be examined.

Programs should be evaluated.

Fraud and corruption should be addressed.

But responsible stewardship does not mean automatically spending as little as possible.

Sometimes an effective program costs money.

The goal is not simply low spending.

It is wise spending that produces worthwhile educational results.

Accountability Should Apply to Every School Receiving Public Resources

If traditional public schools receive taxpayer money, taxpayers have a legitimate interest in results.

If charter schools receive public money, accountability matters there too.

If private schools receive public funds through a particular program, legitimate questions arise about financial accountability and whether the program accomplishes its stated purpose.

Accountability does not necessarily have to look identical in every educational setting.

But public money should not mean:

“No questions may be asked.”

Stewardship requires reasonable transparency.

Accountability Should Focus on More Than Test Scores

Standardized tests can provide useful information.

But they do not measure everything important.

Schools also develop:

Writing.

Critical thinking.

Scientific understanding.

Historical knowledge.

Creativity.

Technical skills.

Citizenship.

Work habits.

Communication.

And other abilities.

Graduation rates matter.

Literacy matters.

Mathematics matters.

College and career readiness matter.

Attendance matters.

School safety matters.

Long-term outcomes matter.

No single number completely describes a school.

But rejecting simplistic measurement should not become an excuse for having no meaningful accountability at all.

What Should Happen When a School Repeatedly Fails?

This may be one of the hardest questions.

Suppose a school has struggled for many years.

Students consistently perform far below reasonable academic expectations.

Teachers frequently leave.

Families are dissatisfied.

Previous reform efforts have failed.

What then?

Continue the same system?

Change leadership?

Replace curriculum?

Provide additional resources?

Change staffing?

Bring in outside management?

Convert the school to another model?

Allow more families to leave?

Close the school?

There may not be one answer appropriate to every situation.

But indefinite failure should not become acceptable merely because changing an institution is difficult.

Children’s futures are too important.

Charter Schools Should Be Judged by Results

Charter schools are sometimes presented as either the solution to public education or a threat to it.

Neither assumption should substitute for evidence.

Some charter schools perform extremely well.

Some do not.

The appropriate questions include:

Are students learning?

Is the school financially responsible?

Is it safe?

Are families satisfied?

Does it serve students fairly?

Is it fulfilling the promises under which it was established?

A school should not receive automatic approval simply because it is a charter school.

Nor should it be rejected merely because it is one.

Evaluate the actual school.

Private and Christian Schools Are Also Choices

Some parents choose private education because of academics.

School size.

Discipline.

Educational philosophy.

Safety.

Specialized programs.

Or religious convictions.

Christian parents may want education in which faith is integrated throughout the school day.

That is a legitimate parental consideration.

Private schools also vary greatly in quality.

The word private does not automatically mean excellent.

Parents should investigate.

What is taught?

Who teaches?

What academic standards exist?

How are students treated?

What is the school’s philosophy?

What outcomes does it produce?

Parents remain responsible for making wise choices.

Homeschooling Can Be a Legitimate Educational Choice

Some families educate their children at home.

They may do so because of religious conviction.

Academic needs.

A child’s disability.

Bullying.

Travel.

School safety.

Family circumstances.

Educational philosophy.

Or the desire for greater flexibility.

Homeschooling can provide excellent education when done responsibly.

It also requires significant commitment.

Time.

Planning.

Instruction.

Resources.

And attention to a child’s academic and social development.

Homeschooling should not be romanticized as effortless.

Neither should it be dismissed as inherently inadequate.

Again, the question is whether children are being educated responsibly.

One Educational Model Will Not Fit Every Child

Children differ.

One child may thrive in a large public high school.

Another may flourish in a small Christian school.

Another may need specialized special education.

Another may excel in a magnet program.

Another may benefit from a technical academy.

Another may do extremely well homeschooling.

Another may need services available only through a larger school system.

The existence of these differences is one reason parental choice can be valuable.

Parents often know things about their children that a centralized system cannot know.

Special-Needs Students Must Be Considered

School-choice discussions must include children with disabilities.

Some children require:

Specialized instruction.

Speech therapy.

Occupational therapy.

Physical accommodations.

Behavioral support.

Medical assistance.

Special transportation.

Or highly trained educators.

Not every school can provide every service.

Parents need clear information about what rights, services, and resources may change when choosing another educational setting.

A policy that works well for a typical student may work differently for a child with significant disabilities.

Those children should not be an afterthought.

Rural Communities Face Different Challenges

School choice may look very different in a rural area.

A city may have dozens of schools within a reasonable distance.

A rural family may have one public school for many miles.

A voucher provides little practical choice if the nearest alternative school is an hour away.

Transportation becomes important.

Internet access may matter for virtual options.

Small communities may also depend heavily upon the local school as a center of community life.

Policy should consider geography rather than assuming every family has the same options.

Transportation Can Determine Whether Choice Is Real

A school may technically be available.

But can the child get there?

A wealthy parent may drive twenty miles each morning.

A low-income parent may begin work before school starts and have no vehicle available.

If transportation is not considered, school choice may be much more useful to some families than others.

That does not necessarily mean government must provide transportation for every possible choice.

It means policymakers should recognize the practical issue.

A theoretical option is not always a usable option.

School Choice Should Not Mean Avoiding Every Difficulty

Parents should choose schools wisely.

But moving a child whenever a teacher gives a low grade, enforces reasonable discipline, assigns difficult work, or disagrees with a parent is not necessarily good parenting.

Children sometimes need to learn perseverance.

Respect.

Responsibility.

How to work with difficult people.

How to accept correction.

And how to overcome challenges.

Parental choice should serve children’s education, not shield them from every uncomfortable experience.

Parents Should Examine Their Own Expectations

Sometimes the school is failing.

Sometimes the child is struggling.

Sometimes the teacher needs improvement.

Sometimes the parent needs to become more involved.

Sometimes several things are true simultaneously.

Wise parents ask honestly:

Is my child attending?

Doing the work?

Reading at home?

Sleeping enough?

Spending hours on a phone?

Respecting teachers?

Taking responsibility?

Does my child need testing or additional support?

Have I listened carefully to the teacher?

Have I assumed my child is always telling me the entire story?

Parental advocacy is important.

So is parental humility.

Teachers and Parents Should Be Partners Whenever Possible

Children benefit when parents and teachers work together.

Teachers see students in an academic and social environment parents may not observe.

Parents know their children’s history, personality, health, family circumstances, strengths, and struggles.

Both perspectives matter.

Conflict will sometimes occur.

But beginning with mutual respect is usually better than beginning with suspicion.

The goal is not for the parent to defeat the teacher or the teacher to defeat the parent.

The goal is to help the child learn.

Schools Cannot Replace Parents

A school can teach mathematics.

Reading.

Science.

History.

Writing.

Technology.

Art.

Music.

Trades.

And many other subjects.

Schools also inevitably influence values and character.

But schools cannot replace the family.

They cannot provide everything children need emotionally, morally, relationally, and spiritually.

When society expects schools to solve every problem associated with poverty, family breakdown, health, nutrition, behavior, character, mental health, childcare, and social development, schools may become responsible for tasks no institution can completely perform.

Strong schools matter.

Strong families matter too.

Churches Have an Educational Role

The church does not need to operate a school to contribute to children’s education.

Churches can:

Tutor students.

Provide school supplies.

Mentor children.

Support teachers.

Offer after-school programs.

Help families obtain internet access.

Provide quiet places to study.

Encourage reading.

Recognize graduates.

Help teenagers explore careers.

Support trade education.

Provide scholarships.

Help parents navigate school systems.

And teach children the Christian faith.

Churches should especially notice children who may not have strong educational support elsewhere.

A caring adult who helps a child read or complete homework can make a lasting difference.

Education Is Connected to Poverty

A child who reaches adulthood without basic literacy or useful skills begins life at a significant disadvantage.

Employment options narrow.

Further education becomes more difficult.

Financial decisions become harder.

Poverty can become more difficult to escape.

Therefore, improving education is one important part of addressing long-term poverty.

Assistance can help a family today.

Education can help prepare a child for decades to come.

That is why failing schools are not merely an educational issue.

They are also an economic and social issue.

Education Is Connected to Citizenship

Citizens in a constitutional republic need more than job skills.

They need civic knowledge.

What does the Constitution do?

What are the branches of government?

What rights do citizens possess?

What responsibilities accompany those rights?

How do elections work?

What is federalism?

What is the rule of law?

How can information be evaluated?

How do we distinguish evidence from propaganda?

Citizens who do not understand their government are easier to manipulate.

Civic education therefore matters to the health of constitutional government.

Schools Should Teach Students How to Think, Not Merely What to Think

Education should develop the ability to reason.

Students should learn to examine evidence.

Recognize assumptions.

Distinguish facts from opinions.

Understand competing arguments.

Identify unreliable sources.

Ask good questions.

Change conclusions when evidence requires it.

And disagree without hatred.

Schools inevitably teach ideas.

Complete neutrality is impossible.

But education should not become political indoctrination from either the left or the right.

Students should be prepared to think responsibly rather than simply repeat the political preferences of adults.

Religious Freedom Matters in Education

Families have different religious beliefs.

Public schools serve Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, and people from many other backgrounds.

Government schools should not establish a religion.

Neither should religious students be treated as though their faith must disappear when they enter school.

Christian students should be able to live faithfully within lawful constitutional boundaries.

Parents choosing religious schools should understand that those schools exist partly because families desire an educational environment shaped by their faith.

Educational pluralism requires both religious freedom and respect for the rights of others.

School Choice Is Not Automatically the Answer to Every Problem

Choice can create opportunity.

Competition may encourage improvement.

Parents may find environments better suited to their children.

But school choice cannot guarantee good parenting.

Excellent teachers.

Strong academics.

Safe classrooms.

Responsible administration.

Or wise decisions.

No policy can remove the need for human responsibility.

Choice is a tool.

The question is whether it helps children receive better education and whether the particular system is designed wisely.

Keeping Every Child in the Same System Is Not Automatically Fair Either

Uniformity is not necessarily equality.

Suppose every child is assigned a school based upon address.

That appears equal.

But one child is assigned to an excellent school while another is assigned to a chronically failing school.

The rule is the same.

The opportunity is not.

Christians concerned about justice should be willing to ask whether maintaining identical procedures is always the same thing as providing meaningful opportunity.

Public Schools Should Not Be Abandoned

Supporting educational alternatives should not mean becoming indifferent toward public schools.

Millions of children will continue attending them.

Christians should care whether those schools succeed.

If families choose other options, we should still care about the children who remain.

Public schools need excellent teachers.

Responsible leadership.

Safe classrooms.

Involved parents.

Effective curricula.

Accountability.

And communities that expect students to learn.

The question should not be:

“How do we defeat public schools?”

It should be:

“How do we help children receive excellent education, including the children attending public schools?”

Choice and Reform Can Exist Together

We do not necessarily have to choose between:

Give parents alternatives

and

Improve public schools.

Both can be pursued.

Parents may need immediate alternatives for children currently trapped in failing situations.

At the same time, communities can work to improve schools so future families do not face the same problem.

Immediate choice and long-term reform can complement each other.

What About Public Money Following the Student?

This question deserves careful consideration.

One argument says education funding exists to educate children, so some portion of that funding should follow the child to an approved educational option chosen by the family.

Another argues that public money is intended to maintain a public educational system and that removing funds may weaken schools serving the remaining students.

Both arguments raise legitimate concerns.

Christians should ask practical questions.

How is the funding calculated?

Which funds follow the child?

What costs remain with the public school?

What accountability accompanies the money?

Does the policy improve opportunity for low-income families?

What happens to special-needs students?

What happens in rural areas?

What evidence exists from similar programs?

Again, the Bible does not specify the funding formula.

Wisdom is required.

No Educational System Is Free

Public schools are paid for through taxes.

Private schools charge tuition or receive charitable support.

Homeschooling requires family time, resources, and often sacrificed income.

Charter schools require funding.

Voucher programs require funding.

Education savings accounts require funding.

Transportation costs money.

Special education costs money.

Teachers must be paid.

Buildings cost money.

There is no educational system without costs.

Therefore, responsible debate should not compare the visible cost of one system with an imaginary cost-free alternative.

We should compare actual costs and actual outcomes.

Christians Should Look at Evidence

Educational policy should not become another area in which we decide what we believe first and search for evidence later.

If a school-choice program improves outcomes, acknowledge it.

If it fails, acknowledge that.

If increased funding produces meaningful improvement, acknowledge it.

If additional spending produces little improvement, acknowledge that too.

If a public school is excellent, celebrate it.

If a private school is poor, admit it.

If a charter school succeeds, learn from it.

If it fails, hold it accountable.

Truth matters more than defending our preferred political narrative.

Christians Can Reach Different Conclusions

Faithful Christians may agree that:

Children matter.

Parents have important responsibilities.

Education matters.

Poor children deserve meaningful opportunity.

Teachers should be treated fairly.

Taxpayer resources should be used responsibly.

Schools should be accountable.

Religious freedom should be protected.

And children should be prepared for responsible adulthood.

Yet those same Christians may disagree about:

Vouchers.

Education savings accounts.

Charter schools.

School zoning.

Teacher employment policies.

Funding formulas.

Federal involvement.

State involvement.

Local control.

Testing.

Homeschool regulation.

Private-school participation.

And many other policies.

Those disagreements do not necessarily mean one Christian cares about children and the other does not.

They may reflect different judgments about what policies will work best.

Ask the Right Questions

When evaluating education policy, ask:

Are children actually learning?

Can they read proficiently?

Can they write clearly?

Can they use mathematics?

Are they learning history, science, government, and other essential subjects?

Are classrooms safe enough for learning?

Are parents meaningfully involved?

Are teachers supported and accountable?

Is school leadership effective?

Are taxpayer resources being used responsibly?

Do poor families have realistic educational options?

Are children with disabilities being considered?

Are rural families being considered?

Does the policy expand genuine opportunity or only theoretical choice?

What happens to children who remain in struggling schools?

What happens when a school repeatedly fails?

Does the policy respect legitimate parental authority?

Does it protect religious freedom?

What evidence shows whether the policy works?

Those questions are more useful than asking which political party proposed the idea.

The Goal Is Not to Win the School Debate

The goal is to educate children.

A public-school advocate should care whether children are learning.

A school-choice advocate should care whether children are learning.

A homeschool parent should care whether children are learning.

A private-school administrator should care whether children are learning.

A taxpayer should care whether children are learning.

A Christian should care because children are people created in God’s image and because knowledge, wisdom, responsibility, and truth matter.

Our loyalty should not ultimately be to an educational system.

It should be to truth, responsibility, wise stewardship, and the well-being of children.

Questions for Personal Reflection

Do I believe parents have primary responsibility for the upbringing and education of their children?

If I am a parent, have I remained actively involved in my child’s education?

Do I evaluate schools according to actual results rather than political labels?

Do I respect teachers and recognize the limits of what teachers can accomplish without family and community support?

Do I believe consistently ineffective teachers or administrators should be held appropriately accountable?

Do I recognize that school discipline and safety affect every child’s opportunity to learn?

Do I understand that poverty can create genuine educational barriers without assuming poor children cannot succeed?

Do I maintain high expectations for children regardless of their economic background?

Do I believe parents with limited income should have meaningful educational options?

Do I recognize that wealthy families often already exercise school choice through housing and private education?

Do I also consider what happens to children who remain in struggling public schools?

Do I ask whether school-choice programs actually improve educational outcomes?

Do I ask whether additional school spending actually improves educational outcomes?

Do I recognize that public money requires responsible stewardship and accountability?

Do I understand that standardized testing can provide useful information without measuring everything that matters?

Do I recognize the special concerns of children with disabilities?

Do I recognize that rural families may have fewer practical choices?

Do I believe schools should teach students how to reason rather than politically indoctrinating them?

Do I value civic education as part of preparing responsible citizens?

Can I distinguish biblical principles about parents, children, wisdom, truth, and stewardship from particular modern education policies?

Can I respect another Christian who shares those biblical principles but reaches a different conclusion about school choice?

Is there a child, parent, teacher, or school I could personally encourage, tutor, mentor, support, or help?

A Prayer for Children, Parents, Teachers, and Schools

Father, thank You for the gift of children.

You have created each one with dignity, value, abilities, needs, and possibilities.

Give parents wisdom as they make decisions about their children’s education.

Help them accept their responsibility to teach, guide, protect, discipline, encourage, and prepare their children for adulthood.

Keep parents from handing that responsibility entirely to someone else.

Bless teachers.

Give them wisdom, patience, endurance, knowledge, compassion, and courage.

Strengthen those who faithfully serve children in difficult circumstances.

Provide good principals and administrators who lead with integrity, wisdom, fairness, and high expectations.

Protect children in unsafe schools.

Bring order where classrooms have become chaotic.

Provide help for students who are struggling academically, emotionally, physically, or socially.

Give special wisdom to those serving children with disabilities and significant educational needs.

Help communities facing poverty, family instability, violence, inadequate resources, and other barriers that make education more difficult.

But never allow us to lower our expectations for children simply because their circumstances are difficult.

Help us believe that every child can learn and grow.

Give wisdom to lawmakers and school officials making decisions about public schools, charter schools, private education, homeschooling, school choice, funding, accountability, transportation, curriculum, and educational standards.

Help them look beyond political interests.

Protect them from corruption, favoritism, waste, and pressure from powerful groups.

Help them remember the child sitting at the desk.

Give families trapped in failing educational situations genuine hope and meaningful options.

At the same time, help us not abandon children who remain in struggling public schools.

Strengthen those schools.

Send excellent teachers.

Raise up strong leaders.

Encourage involved parents.

Restore safe classrooms.

Help taxpayer resources be used wisely.

Protect religious freedom.

Help schools respect families of different beliefs while allowing Christian students and families to live faithfully.

Teach our children to read.

Write.

Calculate.

Reason.

Understand history.

Understand government.

Recognize truth.

Evaluate evidence.

Listen carefully.

Think independently.

Work diligently.

Treat others with dignity.

And become responsible adults.

Help Your church recognize that education is not merely somebody else’s responsibility.

Show us children who need tutors.

Parents who need encouragement.

Teachers who need support.

Teenagers who need mentors.

Families who need help.

And schools that need faithful neighbors.

Keep us from turning children into political weapons.

Keep us from defending institutions simply because they belong to our preferred political side.

Give us courage to acknowledge success wherever we find it and failure wherever it occurs.

Help us seek truth rather than talking points.

Wisdom rather than ideology.

Results rather than promises.

Responsibility rather than blame.

And the good of children rather than the victory of a political party.

May our homes, churches, schools, communities, and government help prepare children to live wisely, work faithfully, serve others, exercise freedom responsibly, and seek what is true and good.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Thinking Biblically About Difficult Public Issues

Poverty, Work, and Economic Opportunity

Childcare, Working Families, and Paid Family Leave