Nothing is more important to the future of our society — or more critical to fulfilling our national commitment to equal opportunity — than the care and upbringing of the next generation. This is not a concern that cuts along partisan lines. Both sides of the ideological divide endeavor to craft public policies aimed at strengthening families, supporting parents and giving every child a fair shot at the American Dream.

But how exactly we do that is a subject of serious disagreement between the left and the right.