Talking Points by Issue

Education

Aug 7, 2020 2 min read

Policy Proposals

Restore revenue responsibility for preschool to the states and voucherize Head Start.
Empower military families with education savings accounts, instead of assigning children to district schools based on their parents’ assigned duty station and then sending federal dollars directly to districts,
Equip Native American children on tribal lands with school choice.
Eliminate competitive K–12 grant programs.
Eliminate federal student loans to make space for private lending. In higher education, Congress should eliminate the federal student loan program in order to make space for private lending to reemerge.
Reform accreditation. In addition to cutting off the open spigot of federal aid to universities, policymakers should pursue structural reforms in higher education to drive down costs and better serve students.

Head Start has cost $240 billion since its inception in 1965, but has had little to no impact on parenting practices, or the cognitive, social-emotional, and health outcomes of participants.
Spending per-pupil on K-12 education has quadrupled in real terms since 1960, but scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) have changed little since the early 1970s.
The gap in learning between students from the highest 10 percent and lowest 10 percent of the income distribution has remained relatively the same over decades—roughly four years of learning.
The federal government now originates and services nearly 90 percent of all student loans.
College tuition at public universities has increased 213% since 1987, and Americans now hold more than $1.6 trillion in outstanding student loan debt.
44 percent of college graduates are in jobs that do not require a college degree.

Equip Families with Choice

Individuals and families—not government—make the best decisions regarding their families’ health, education, jobs, and welfare.

The Federal Education Monopoly Hurts Students

Currently, large-scale federal intervention, coupled with the monopoly provision of education in the states, inhibits an education revolution from taking place.

State and Local Control

Begin reforms at the federal level to wind down Washington DC’s overbearing intervention in education.
Effective education policy includes returning authority to the states and empowering parents with the opportunity to choose a safe and effective education for their children.

Promoting Economic Mobility

Choice in primary education creates pathways to higher education—including career and technical education—that enable students to climb the ladder of economic opportunity.