Harris holds kids hostage while Trump improves education for all
The disparity between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in November is stark when it comes to education.
Trump advocates for parents as the primary decision-makers for their children, supporting the idea of money following the child to the school that best suits their needs and aligns with their family’s values.
In a Truth Social post in May, President Trump asserted, “School Choice is the CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE of our time, and parents must have a voice in their child’s education! When I am your President again, I will protect Parental Rights, support Teachers, and expand Educational Freedom for all American Families!” At a campaign rally in Philadelphia in June, President Trump declared, “I will support universal school choice. It’s such a big thing.”
Red states have already started embracing education freedom.
During the prolonged public school closures starting in 2020, parents witnessed the focus on far-Left indoctrination over education in schools through “remote learning,” prompting dissatisfaction among parents.
More progress has been made on school choice in the last three years than in the preceding three decades. Since 2021, twelve states have passed universal school choice policies, making all families eligible.
School choice benefits all, as public schools elevate their standards in response to competition, prompting them to better cater to the needs of children and their families.
For instance, in Florida, 10 out of 11 rigorous studies found that school choice enhances outcomes in public schools.
Florida has shown significant improvement by expanding school choice, leading to the state being ranked number one for education by U.S. News and World Report.
Despite spending 27% less per student than the national average, Florida has excelled in student achievement, topping other states in the Nation’s Report Card after adjusting for demographic differences.
Kamala Harris, aligned with the teachers unions, advocates for government control over children’s education.
At a Harris campaign rally, a teacher expressed that education is seen as “the greatest instrument of social justice in this country,” differing from the fundamental purpose of education.
Harris reinforced her support for teachers unions by speaking at the American Federation of Teachers convention in July, shortly after Joe Biden withdrew from the race.
Under Harris’ alliance with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, children’s education suffered due to the unions’ resistance to reopening schools during the pandemic.
The partisan ties with teachers unions underscore the Democratic Party’s control, with over 99% of campaign contributions from Weingarten’s union going to Democrats in the 2022 election cycle.
Harris’s preference for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in contrast to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who supports school choice, further illustrates her union-centric ideologies.
Walz downplays the negative impact of school closures, betraying the interests of children by sugarcoating the effects on their education.
The focus of Harris and Walz on increased funding as the sole remedy ignores the proven failures of past approaches.
Emphasizing the need for a shift towards education freedom, empowering families and encouraging accountability in the government school system is imperative for meaningful change.
Corey DeAngelis is a senior fellow at the American Federation for Children and a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. He is the author of “The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools” (Center Street, 2024).
