Wisconsin Family Action knows that the best education system is one that gives children a wide-open future and fuel to explore God’s calling in their lives, under the loving and protecting guidance of their parents.
Parents know their children best and are in the best position to make decisions about their children’s education. Wisconsin Family Action advances policies that provide more opportunities for parents to build an education best suited to meet their children’s unique needs. This means we support legislation that enhances school-choice opportunities for families. A future full of choices for children needs a present full of options.
A school environment should not be harmful to a child. It should not tell a child that her faith isn’t welcome in the classroom. Parents are the key to ensuring that a child’s educational environment does not undermine the family’s faith — or their child’s future. They have the right to be informed about what’s happening in their children’s schools, and what curriculum their children are exposed to. We advance policies that empower parents to have decision-making power when it comes to their children’s classrooms.
The Story of Education in America
For the majority of the first century of America’s existence, a large portion of American children were educated at home or in local schools run by their community.
In the early 20th century there was a push to ensure that everyone received the same basic education. Mandatory education laws grew in popularity in state legislatures with the goal that everyone would be able to read. While this goal was a good one, education moved further away from the family and local community. The centralization of education increased throughout the 20th century, and in 1979 the national Department of Education was officially made an independent cabinet agency.
As education became more nationalized, parents began to seek alternative education methods. Religious schools, primarily Catholic schools, have been around for decades, but the number of both nondenominational religious schools and schools associated with Protestant churches sharply increased in the 80’s and 90’s. Similarly, parents began to advocate for laws to ensure that they could homeschool their children. Overall, as the government pushed to nationalize public education, more and more parents began to look for educational models closer to home.
More school choice is good! Parents should be empowered to provide the best education for their children whether it is at public, charter, private, or home school. Wisconsin Family Action and our state-based allies have worked tirelessly to increase school choice for the benefit of all students.
Public School
Public education, regulated by state and federal government, is available to all and has been used for good in many situations. Some states realizing the different needs of students have begun to offer options such as online educational programs, Advanced Placement courses, or dual-enrollment classes that give students a head start in college. Public school districts have also started to offer alternative high schools for trade-oriented students.
Even as public schools offer more choice, families are seeking alternatives because the public-education system exposes their children to ideas and opinions — imposed by the government — that are contrary to their family’s worldview. Concerned families desire to have a voice and be more involved in their child’s education.
Home School
The modern home school movement started as a reaction to the nationalizing of education. Families sought to take back their children’s education. Regulations on homeschooling vary by state, but today it is legal to homeschool a child in every state in the nation. It is estimated that almost 2 million students are educated at home. Homeschooling provides a family with an almost endless number of possibilities to tailor their child’s education to their child’s needs.
Co-ops allow students to take some classes at home, some in a private school, and even sometimes in a public school—depending on individual needs and goals. In some states, homeschool students are able to participate in extracurricular activities at public schools. Laws that give homeschool students the ability to access public extracurricular activities are known as Tebow Laws, named after Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow, who utilized a similar law in Florida to play football in high school.
Charter School
Even in the public-school system, people began to realize that the one-size-fits-all method does not work for every child. Charter schools have begun to increase in number across the United States, providing parents and children options and expanded opportunities. A charter school does not charge tuition and is publicly funded. However, it operates independently from the public education system. Many of these charter schools have a particular educational focus or curriculum that is unique from nearby public schools.
Private School
Private schools have also grown in popularity. Some private schools are associated with a particular church, while others are nonsectarian, such as a Montessori School or a traditional private school. These schools are often more expensive than other forms of education. Many parents may need financial assistance in order to enroll their children in this sort of education. Many programs have been created in order to assist parents in this endeavor.
Paying for Educational Choice
Education Savings Account
School Voucher
Programs
Tax Credits & Scholarships
Education Savings Accounts (ESA) allow parents to receive a portion of their tax dollars back. The parents can then use the funds in the ESA to pay for certain expenses such as school tuition at a non-public school, homeschool curriculum, online education, or tutors. Six states — Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, and Tennessee — have an ESA program. Some states restrict their ESA program to special needs students, bullied students, students from military families, or students from failing schools.
School-voucher programs allow parents to pay for tuition at a non-public school. Many of these programs are intended to be used by low-income students or students in failing schools. Vouchers are different than ESAs because they are normally directed at tuition cost only and are designated to be spent at a specific school. Fifteen states have voucher programs. The states are Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Individual Tax Credits allow parents to receive a credit on their state taxes for their children’s educational expenses. This helps to ease the burden of paying for a public-school alternative. Five states have these types of programs.
Tax Credit Scholarships allow an individual or a business to receive credit on their taxes for donating to private nonprofits that provide students with scholarships to private schools. Eighteen states have tax scholarship programs.
School Choice in Wisconsin
Wisconsin, our beloved state, holds a significant place in the history of school choice. It was here that the first school choice program in the United States, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, was established in 1989 under the visionary leadership of Governor Thompson. This rich legacy is something we can all take pride in.
Wisconsin Family Action and Wisconsin Family Council are integral to the broader school choice movement. Our founder and first President, Marv Munyon, created our organization out of his work to create Wisconsin’s private school and homeschool law, which gave Wisconsin parents a true choice when determining the correct path for their children’s education. At the time, this law was one of the most expansive laws in the country to protect private schools and homeschooling options, and we are grateful this is still the law of our state today!
Today, nearly 52,000 students use School Choice Wisconsin for more educational freedom and a brighter future. Visit School Choice Wisconsin to find out more information about this wonderful program.
