Mandating a curriculum that teaches critical race theory in public schools is on the rise across our country’s education system. Before that, transgender curriculum, even for kindergartners, has been floated in schools across the United States. For decades, teachers unions and public school administrations have adopted curricula for their states that are anathema to parents’ wishes and students’ best interests.
Teaching critical race theory as a curriculum in schools where upward of 90% of children receive their education is particularly egregious. The thesis is that children have been previously taught a version of our nation’s history that is too whitewashed and generous and purposely overlooks flaws such as racism and slavery. Christopher Rufo, a Manhattan Institute senior fellow, has been fighting against using this curriculum in schools. His definition is profound and discouraging: “Critical race theory is an academic discipline that holds that the United States is a nation founded on white supremacy and oppression, and that these forces are still at the root of our society. Critical race theorists believe that American institutions, such as the Constitution and legal system, preach freedom and equality, but are mere ‘camouflages’ for naked racial domination.”
Forcing public school children to learn anti-American curriculum authored by leftist propagandists seems unsustainable and wrong. While efforts to change what’s taught are underway and important, it would be a revolving door: Just when one curriculum finally got booted, another, undesirable one might take its place. While allies against critical race theory suggest home schooling as a way to implement a desired curriculum into the lives of students, it’s unfortunately untenable for many parents. Even if 20% of children were home-schooled, a huge number, that leaves a large majority under the leftist indoctrination of things such as critical race theory.
Implementing school choice solutions in every state would naturally resolve, and even possibly eradicate, issues such as critical race theory curriculum showing up in every state nationwide. Critical race theory is “deeply unpopular,” but it’s getting shoved through systems via teachers unions. Private school choice, through vouchers, individual tax credits, tax credit scholarships, and Education Savings Accounts, allows parents to choose which education program best fits their lifestyle and their family.
ESAs in particular are quite advantageous and a favorite of Corey DeAngelis, an expert on school choice. He described them this way in a column: “ESAs allow families to allocate a portion of their public school funding amount to a government-authorized savings account, if they choose to opt out of their public school. ESA funds can be used for various education-related expenditures such as private school tuition and fees, online learning, tutoring, and even college costs.”
School choice is popular: In a 2019 American Federation for Children poll, 67% of adults supported it. Eighty percent of Republicans do, and 56% of Democrats do. School choice is effective: There are 56 private school choice programs in 26 states. So far, there have been 17 studies that analyzed the academic outcome of private school choice participants. Eleven out of those 17 studies showed positive results. School choice programs typically save taxpayer dollars, create diversity naturally, and more often than not improve the test scores of participating children.
Private school choice programs would be beneficial in so many ways for our nation’s families, particularly when it comes to combating issues such as critical race theory or pro-transgender curriculum. I personally don’t think it should be taught at all, but if parents had access to private school choice options, the free market would decide. If one particular school was teaching critical race theory and parents didn’t like that, they would not send their child to that particular school. As with all education systems, there would likely be kinks to work out, but private school choice programs would offer the best education for each family and an automatic way to weed out programs everyone already hates.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
