More and more moms across the nation are becoming involved in how their children are learning and what lies ahead for them in obtaining the American dream of getting the quality education they deserve.
Educational options that give parents a chance to choose their children’s schools continue to expand across the nation. Such expansion shows the desire of mothers to see their children develop to their fullest potential. That desire was recently captured in a poll commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice that found that 61 percent of moms of school-age children say K–12 education has “gotten off on the wrong track.” As former California Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero (D) and I wrote recently in USA Today:
As a result, moms of K-12 students give excelling marks for private schools, parochial schools and charter schools. Their grades for public schools are on the decline.
Sixty-two percent of these moms who have kids in grades K-12 favor charter schools. Sixty-six percent of these moms want school vouchers for all students, and 69% want education tax credits so children can attend a private school.
Let’s continue to raise our voices for our children. As a mother and a school choice activist, I often dream of a time when all children are educated in environments that meet their educational needs. Let’s make sure that my dream and the dreams of hundreds of thousands of mothers come true.
Virginia Walden Ford is a visiting fellow in domestic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation, where she specializes in school choice and education reform. She is the former executive director of D.C. Parents for School Choice and currently works with the Arkansas Parent Network.
