Tag: ESA

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Why Constitutional Home Educators Alliance Doesn’t Support EdChoice

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

Constitutional Home Educators Alliance gives a myriad of reasons why they don’t support EdChoice. They cite these reasons and more:

  1. EdChoice raises questions regarding funding
  2. Inevitable lawsuits will cost taxpayers
  3. EdChoice attracts fraud
  4. Government funding extends government reach
  5. EdChoice leads to unintended consequences
  6. Real educational liberty “only comes when the government has no control at all”

Read more here.

Are you still confused, or would you like to learn more? Did you happen to see the video they produced?

the Refining Rhetoric podcast logo, with Robert Bortins, CEO of Classical Conversation, smiling the camera

Should We Reform the Public School System?

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

“People say that public schools are broken. They are not broken. They are doing exactly what they were created to do. You hear people say, ‘Oh, they’re failing.’ No, they’re not failing. They are succeeding beyond the wildest hopes and dreams of their founders.” – Israel Wayne

In this episode of Refining Rhetoric, Robert Bortins is joined by Israel Wayne, a homeschool dad of eleven children, the director of Family Renewal Ministries, and the author of multiple books. Robert and Israel discuss the origins of the public school system in America, the foundational principles on which this system is built, and ultimately, why we should be concerned about the government funding of private and home schools. If you are a parent, this episode is a must-listen!

To learn more about government-funded private education, click here.

the U.S capitol building, faraway shot

Homeschool Organizations Ally to Protect Homeschooling Freedoms & Offer More Help Understanding EdChoice, ESAs, Vouchers

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

Constitutional Home Educators Alliance has been helping parents navigate the nuances of EdChoice, ESAs, parent/school choice, vouchers, and special scholarships. Visit their site for information and research on the topic, and read why they support Education Liberty over EdChoice and similar policies.

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Confused by ESAs, Vouchers, and EdChoice?

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

Education policy jargon is enough to make anyone’s head spin! What in the world is the difference between school vouchers and ESAs? How does taxpayer-funded education threaten your educational freedom? And how does so-called parent choice (or school choice) actually eliminate your educational options?

The Constitutional Home Educators Alliance has created a fantastic video to answer these questions and more. And have you read our blog post, All That Glitters Isn’t Gold, published on December 28, 2022? Be sure to check it out!

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Tips For Contacting Your Lawmakers

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

“Don’t wait until you are ready to take action. Instead, take action to be ready.” —Jensen Siaw

Perhaps you’d love to start communicating with your elected officials on a regular basis but are at a loss for what to discuss. Consider these possible topics:

  • Research School/Parent Choice or ESAs
  • Parental rights regarding medical decisions or general parental rights
  • First and Second Amendment rights

You can also check this website and your state government’s website for updates and additional suggestions.

Also, keep in mind:

  • Always speak graciously.
  • They work for you. They want to hear from you.
  • Be brief. Be clear.
  • Open communication and relationship-building takes time. Leave them with a good impression and let them know you appreciate their time and will contact them again.
  • If they ask you a question that you don’t have the answer to, be honest. If you are able, find the answer and provide it in your follow-up. You can say something like, “That’s a very good question. I would like to investigate that and get back to you. Thank you for asking.”
Macro of an isolated iron pyrite mineral

All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

Taxpayer-funded education goes by a variety of names these days, such as school vouchers, charter schools, and education savings accounts (ESAs), which different states variously call Education Freedom Accounts, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or Individualized Education Accounts.

These lovely names suggest a commitment to the principles of freedom and self-determination that define the homeschooling movement, but buyer beware: all that glitters is not gold.

Take No Child Left Behind: glittering name, pyrite legislation. Enacted with bipartisan support, NCLB promised to fix the substandard and ever-worsening quality of the public education system. In fact, one of the legislation’s objectives was to offer parents school choice! (Sound familiar?)

Instead, NCLB vastly expanded the federal government’s role in education while public schools continued to deteriorate and school choice was left by the wayside. Despite the glittering name, despite the promise of school choice, NCLB only eroded educational freedoms.

School choice—a.k.a. “parent choice”—funded by taxpayers’ money represents a similar bait and switch. The government  offers this money to parents when they withdraw their students from the public school system, ostensibly because the money would’ve followed the students anyway. Sounds great, right?

Here’s the catch: this money is then deposited in government-authorized savings accounts—accounts subject to government oversight. And that’s where the trouble begins.

Government oversight means regulation. Regulation is the death of freedom and self-determination. Soon, you won’t be able to spend those funds according to your own wants and needs. Instead, you’ll need the government’s approval for your expenditures.

And then your home school won’t be your home school—rather, your home school will be just another government-run program in your living room.

Pyrite is called fool’s gold because it tricks people into believing it’s real gold. School choice funded by taxpayers’ money isn’t school choice at all—it’s just fool’s gold. Like No Child Left Behind, taxpayer-funded education will only undermine legitimate educational freedom.

Don’t trade your child’s future for pyrite.

Learn more about taxpayer-funded education here!

the American flag blowing in the wind at sunset

Will Privatized Education Lead to More Freedom?ďżź

Posted on | by Lauren Gideon

Education policy reform is sweeping our nation. Debates on vouchers, Educational Savings Plans, and other government-funded enticements abound. Perhaps your state has recently passed such legislation, or maybe it’s on the docket for the upcoming session?

Kevin Novak, a Texas and North Virginia attorney and president of Deconstructing the Coliseum, not only disagrees with voucher and tax credit systems but also advocates the abolishment of government schools. In his op-ed, “The Best Education Policy is No Education Policy,” he writes,

“To be clear, thought freedom does not comport with vouchers, tax credits or any other post-tax mechanism. You cannot shackle a horse and then complain that it does not run like a thoroughbred. We want freedom — of the pre-tax variety. We do not want bureaucrats putting hurdles between our money and our choices.”

He further explains his rationale for the abolition of government schools:

“Why do I assert that civil government schools must be abolished? Because God never gave the civil government the right to use force and coercion to advance thought … If you are repulsed by the civil government mandating that your humanistic neighbor attend church, why are you not repulsed by your humanistic neighbor mandating that your child be exposed to his humanistic lies?”

Novak offers ideas and other possible solutions. You can read the entire op-ed here in The Western Journal.