Parenthood and School Choice

January 27, 2025

By Rep. Milou Mackenzie (R-Lehigh/Montgomery/Northampton)
The wonderful journey of parenthood comes with a heavy dose of responsibility and the knowledge that a lifetime of decision-making lies ahead that will ultimately lead to the happiness, health, and success of the precious human being who has been placed in the parent’s care.

From day one, the parents will largely be the ones to determine what the child eats, wears, observes, and experiences. In the early years, they will decide who the trusted babysitters will be, and which day care activities and pre-school learning options are best for their children. Then suddenly, when the child reaches about 5 years of age, the parents’ wishes and involvement are abruptly put on a back burner. From that moment on, all basic educational decisions are turned over to big government and the parents’ input is essentially suspended until the child reaches high school graduation at around 18 years of age. Then, suddenly, the parents are once again allowed to be involved in the educational decision-making as they aid and guide their children toward college or along other paths to higher learning.

During the K-12 years, most parents have had little, if anything, to say about the actual education and daily school experience of their children. What is being taught and who is doing the teaching is left entirely up to the administrators and teachers at the local school to which the children have been assigned. This pattern of education is the one followed by millions of American children each year. It definitely holds true for the average child in Pennsylvania. The term “average” here refers to the overwhelming number of Pennsylvania’s children who, by fate, have been born into families who are settled in the middle or the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder.

As has always been the case, the children who, by luck or by chance, have landed in the arms of financially privileged parents may have an entirely different educational experience! The educational journey that they and their parents embark upon may be different in so many ways! In these families, the parents can stay involved each step of the way. From infancy to adulthood, the parents can decide what is best for their children to live and experience. There will be a wider range of options to choose from: private schools, religious schools, handpicked teachers, and curriculum of their choice. All will be laid out before them like a banquet or an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Every step of the way, the parents can monitor the situation. They can gauge their children’s happiness, progress, and mental health. At any time the parents can intervene and help the children change course if that is needed. Average families have no such opportunities.

Parenthood is serious business, and most parents want only the best for their children. Nine times out of 10, the parents will understand the needs of their children better than any other person on earth. It is undeniable that at this very minute, many children in Pennsylvania’s schools are not flourishing, learning, or happy. We know the statistics, and the sad reports of failing schools, bullying environments, children’s academic struggles, and their mounting mental health issues. Much of this suffering could be alleviated if parents, the first and often the best decision-makers, could step in and have a say in where their children are spending their prime school day hours.

Optimal school choice options should be what every parent, not just the wealthy ones, are able to offer their children. There are so many incredible and awesome educational programs being offered all across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There are schools of all kinds! Every parent should be allowed to seek out the best and the finest schools that suit their children and serve their families. We often hear “Happy wife makes for a happy life.” Well maybe so, but definitely, happy, well-educated, mentally stable children most certainly make for a happy existence for everyone! Educational choice provides a giant step in that direction. So let the parents decide!

Representative Milou Mackenzie
131st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Will Jones
717.260.6615
WJones@pahousegop.com
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