As a former public school teacher, Kat S. deeply values education. She was glad her local public school had a good reputation for quality. But even though her son made honor roll consistently, Kat suspected something was wrong. She never saw him writing, and she felt he wasn’t getting the help he needed at school for his ADHD. When her son’s school closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she learned just how bad things were. Assessments showed that her "honor roll student" was three years below grade level in math and could barely write more than a few sentences.
In 2011, Arizona became the first state to adopt an ESA policy. Just over a decade later, nine states have ESAs and several others may soon follow suit.
Now that the elections are mercifully behind us, it's probably time to refocus on more important issues, like the slow-motion train wreck that is American public education.