As a native Alabamian now raising children in my home state, I have an important decision to make about where my children will be educated. My daughter will enter kindergarten soon, but fortunately, I’m not confined to the relatively few options my parents had when raising me.
I’ve heard it said that Alabama is the wild west when it comes to homeschooling, having some of the least restrictive laws in the nation. Yet if homeschooling isn’t the correct fit for our family, we now have the CHOOSE Act, signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey in March 2024.
There’s a fair amount of mistrust and mischaracterization surrounding the CHOOSE Act, including all the classic criticisms of school choice: school choice disenfranchises children in rural areas; school choice only benefits higher-income students; school choice will prioritize private institutions and accelerate the decline of already-failing public schools. The list could go on and on.
Currently, the CHOOSE Act has an income threshold for potential applicants. By the 2027-2028 school year, however, students of any income level may qualify.
Previously, concerned parents, especially those in lower-income areas, had no choice but to send students to underfunded or turbulent public schools. School choice, the way it’s intended, could be the great equalizer – and our state could become a safe haven for motivated parents who desire better educational outcomes for their kids.
The keyword here is motivated. There’s criticism that CHOOSE applicants are overwhelmingly white or overwhelmingly from higher-income areas, leaving lower-income, minority students stranded in a failing system. But once the CHOOSE application opens to families of any income, there will be no barrier – except parents.
A child’s education starts with his or her parents. I know that my daughter’s future, even her kindergarten experience, begins with my discernment. There’s a fair amount of anxiety in this, as her success might be entirely determined by the school she attends. But making difficult choices is the essential duty of parenting.
A criticism of homeschooling is often that parents have limited knowledge of learning styles or of education and pedagogy in general. I may not have a degree in education, but I am an expert in how my child observes, plays, absorbs information, and applies her knowledge to different tasks. It’s up to me to understand her learning style and all the options available to us. Were I not up to that challenge, I could apply for an Education Savings Account through the CHOOSE Act to find a school that’s right for us.
This is the bare minimum when it comes to my responsibilities as a parent. Legislators, together with educators all over the state, have made the first moves in making quality education accessible to all. It’s up to parents to meet them halfway.
Competition breeds innovation. Under the CHOOSE Act, public schools falling below the quality learning threshold could finally be held accountable. Private schools could offer a wider array of extracurricular activities and resources. Rural communities could see an unprecedented interest in local education unique to their communities, not the big city behemoths critics might feel they must match. Universities and community colleges could offer more incentives to high school students, helping them advance before pursuing higher education. But increased funding only goes so far, and if a limited number of parents are taking advantage, a limited number of students will see success.
Parents across the country are facing the realities of subpar education. We learned that students at Ivy League schools – supposedly, the most prestigious in the nation – can’t read comprehensively or critique thoroughly. Math, science and reading scores continue to plummet to historic lows since the COVID-19 education crisis. Yet parents who want better for their kids are accused of shutting out the underprivileged, or of wanting to indoctrinate their children in religious or political dogma. Alabama offers searching families a future rife with possibilities for their children, but indifferent parents must want that future as much as the motivated ones do.
I’m a product of the Alabama public school system, but even though I went to one of the consistently highest ranking schools in the state, I still encountered unmotivated educators, counselors and administrators who didn’t care about me or my academic future. If I do my job, my daughter will never face those same obstacles.
Elizabeth Condra is a wife and mother from Birmingham, Ala.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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