K12 IMPLOSION UPDATE: More Parents Opt For Private Learning Options.

My neighbor has had enough of Zoom schooling and halting district reopening plans. She is removing her child from public school to homeschool this spring and will enroll her in a private school in the fall. This mom is not alone.

It’s estimated that less than half of all U.S. students are attending full-time, traditional, in-person schooling. While there are some signs that more schools may open in the coming weeks as coronavirus cases decline and vaccinations rise–and as some state officials mandate the move–teachers unions continue to push back against reopening plans in many areas. As parents observe the back-and-forth between politicians, union leaders and school boards, and grapple with the uncertainty of what their children’s learning will look like next fall, more of them are opting out of their local public schools for private options.

In my work with families who choose alternatives to conventional schooling, I find more interest in innovative learning models and more enthusiasm for private education. Many of the parents I talk to never would have considered leaving their district school until this year, while others have been on the fence for a long time. Poor quality remote schooling and unpredictable or unsatisfying reopening plans finally gave them a needed nudge.

From Hollywood to Higher Education to K-12 and beyond, core lefty institutions are dying or committing suicide because of the pandemic. The right should take advantage.

Among other things, education money should go to parents, not to schools. Public schools should have to compete with private schools and homeschoolers for students and funds.