School choice advocates, school leaders, and families bring out their yellow scarves each January to celebrate National School Choice Week. In this era of divisive curriculum and shrill debates about damaging COVID-19-era school policies, identifying reasons to celebrate may take extra effort. When we look beyond unresponsive schools, however, the hopeful signs are increasingly evident.

First of all, parents and students are not trapped in their traditional public schools. In 2021, I launched a weekly interview series, “Escaping Your Government Assigned Schools,” for the Independent Women’s Network in order to inspire and encourage parents considering educational options for their children. I’ve spoken with women who have founded schools, launched initiatives to empower parents, or happily withdrawn their children from their assigned public schools.