You probably didn’t learn about Gouverneur Morris in school, but you know his work. As one of our nation’s Founding Fathers, Morris penned the preamble to the Constitution.
Suppose any curriculum out there does mention him. In that case, it will teach he believed the only hope of guarding our fledgling nation against “the extremes of despotism or anarchy” was through the morals of the people: “Religion is the only solid base of morals and [morals] are the only possible support of free governments. Therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God.”
Turn on the news and you’ll soon see that the U.S. education system is rapidly drifting away from Morris’s call. Our nation is in danger of falling deeper into the despotism and anarchy of the left, and many parents who share Morris’s view don’t have access to alternatives. But next year at the ballot box, we’ll have a chance to help take back parents’ rights to determine their child’s education. School choice could be the defining issue for faith and freedom in this next election.
Thankfully, forward-thinking Republican-led states are already expanding educational options with new school choice legislation, recognizing the importance of empowering parents to send their child to the best school for them.
For example, consider Iowa’s successful voucher program as a possible blueprint for other states. This past summer, the Iowa Department of Education received more than 15,000 applications for students to attend K-12 private schools. Utah’s and Florida’s voucher programs are also great examples, and other states are embracing similar alternatives. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) will likely call a special session later in the year on school choice as well. We envision a rising tide of support that leads to school choice and other robust conservative ballot initiatives in 2024.
As conservatives, we firmly believe giving families an alternative to government-run schools frees them from the tyranny of the government’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to education. It is crucial to creating a brighter future for our children and our nation.
School choice — whether through vouchers, educational savings or tax-credit scholarships — elevates parents to their rightful role as decisionmakers in their children’s formation. In giving parents this autonomy, we uphold the ideals of individual liberty, personal responsibility and self-determination. No bureaucrat or institution can understand a child’s learning needs more than those who raise and nurture them.
But too often a child’s ZIP code decides the quality of their education. So then, school choice becomes a lifeline for families in underserved communities and compels schools to improve academic excellence in order to stay relevant.
This competition to educate our children will create accountability in schools to foster learning environments that nurture students’ potential and give parents a partner in growing their child’s faith in God.
The Supreme Court’s erroneous decision to ban school prayer in 1962 may have opened the door to the continual erosion of faith in schooling, but many parents today want both for their children. The Bible — the basis of all morality — calls us to love God with our hearts, souls and minds. In other words, we cannot separate faith from academics.
Expanding the opportunity for parents to choose a school with a Christian worldview of science, history, daily living and family life will do more than help their children flourish; they can learn to share and defend the faith, which in turn safeguards the flourishing of freedom and democracy.
Elections have consequences, and the tide is turning. But more than politics or policy, allowing school choice declares our faith in the ability of parents to make the right decisions for their children’s — and our nation’s — future success.
Timothy Head is the executive director of the Faith & Freedom Coalition.