Kids deserve a quality education

As many parents will readily attest, the coronavirus pandemic has underscored the need for educational reform and better opportunities for students. Every Arkansas child deserves a worldclass education, and the best way to work toward that is to boost support for both public and private schools to live out their unique roles in our state. This School Choice Week, the lessons of COVID show us that options can’t wait; now is the time to expand choice for Arkansas families.

When schools shut down last spring, students’ reactions ran the gamut. Some children responded well, adapting easily to Zoom classes and virtual lectures. Others needed extra help from a parent or guardian to guide them through lessons, placing an additional burden on full-time working parents. Some students had difficulty accessing material online, because they lacked reliable Internet access at home, and facilities like public libraries had also closed due to COVID-19. And sadly, some students fell through the cracks entirely.

In a nutshell, this diversity of experiences explains the need for school choice.

Students deserve the opportunity to learn in the manner that works best for them, and engages their needs and interests. Just as important: A personalized learning environment or tight-knit school community reduces the chance that children will fall through the cracks.

Calling for increased support of all education options is not an attack on public education. Indeed, traditional public schools have a unique and vital role to play, and

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are a great fit for many children—just not all children. Because the Reform Alliance recognizes that one shape and size of school cannot fulfill every child’s needs, we support every single education option: traditional public schools, open enrollment for public schools, public charter schools, private schools, microschools, homeschooling, and online education.

During the coronavirus, we even witnessed the organic growth of an exciting new option: microschools or pandemic pods, in which small groups of students gather, either for lessons led by a tutor or to complete assignments under a parent’s supervision. This surge testifies to families’ desire for more personalized learning choices.

Private or non-traditional learning options do not undermine public education— we wouldn’t support them if they did. In fact, of 33 studies examining the effects of opportunity scholarships, all but two showed that programs in which students switched to private schools improved educational performance for the students who remained in public schools. In other words, the innovation sparked by school choice can improve outcomes in public and private school students alike. The more that families find learning environments that serve their needs well, the more that every school and classroom is able to live out its mission well and the more that teachers can thrive too. School Choice Week (January 23-29) highlights these positive effects coming from school choice.

Even more powerful than studies are the testimonies we’ve heard firsthand from families who have received the gift of selecting the school that works for them. Hearing the joy in their voices as they express their love for their new schools, and what school choice means to them, can warm even the biggest skeptic.

The way some students suffered when coronavirus shut down schools shows how the existing status quo isn’t able to deliver the world class education to each child they deserve.

School choice provides a clear—and effective—way to work toward a better future. Let’s expand school choice in Arkansas, because fulfilling the promise of the next generation can’t wait.

Emmy Henley has worked in community organizing and education reform efforts, beginning with volunteering for after- school and mentoring programs.

Emmy has been a part of several statewide initiatives and campaigns knocking doors, making phone calls and manning events. Her passion for making change in Arkansas and dedication for children's equal access to quality education began after she saw the struggle to find options in her own family. Emmy, Director of The Reform Alliance, joined the organization in 2016. She is responsible for coordinating with parents and schools to ensure the Succeed Scholarship, Arkansas's first voucher program, is implemented and utilized correctly, She works in communities to advocate for student focused education.