Fourteen-year-old Johnathan Krohn understands what many members of Congress do not: that school choice works and is the key to successful education reform. This morning’s edition of Fox and Friends featured the “Pint-Sized Pundit Pit: Child Prodigy Edition,” in which the guests were asked to discuss the merits of year-round schooling. Krohn, a 14-year-old columnist, explained that it’s not about lengthening the school year, but about systemic reform. Watch:
From Krohn:
The point should be we need to get the bad teachers out, get the good teachers better salaries, and moreover, we also need to make school choice a prevalent part of American society when it comes to education. We need to allow people to choose where they go…and if you have school choice, you’re also competing between schools so that the curriculum gets better and better; the bar is raised, the actual status of the tests will be raised and the actual education of the kids coming out will be raised.
Despite the fact that the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program is proof of what the young pundit says, the program continues to fight for its life. Thankfully, Krohn is not alone in his fight for school choice. Yesterday’s Washington Post featured a compelling editorial by Senator Joe Lieberman about the effectiveness of the scholarship program. Lieberman writes:
“…a student participating in the program from kindergarten through high school could be reading 2 1/2 years ahead of his peers by the time he graduated from high school. That could go a long way toward closing the achievement gaps that persist in this country. In sum, this program is working and is improving student performance…There are low-income children in the District who can’t wait for their local schools to turn around. Without programs such as this one, their opportunity will be lost forever.”
“Pint-sized pundit” Krohn understands the urgency of reforming American education, and more importantly, has answers for how to achieve such reforms. The children always do seem to have the answer.
