How School Choice Is Empowering Families to Pursue Faith-Based Education
During this election season, Christians have been rightly discouraged about the ground lost on the issues of life. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, numerous states have protected and even extended abortion “rights” through laws and ballot initiatives, with more likely to follow in November. And, of course, the Republican Party scrubbed its long-standing pro-life policy position from the official party platform.
On the other hand, there’s much for Christians to be encouraged by on issues related to education. For example, parents are increasingly in favor of education that respects religion and religious conviction. According to the 2023 Becket Religious Freedom Index, a majority of Americans support a right to religious education. Also, 67% of Americans think that parents should be allowed to “opt out” children from content they find morally objectionable, and 54% think that students who attend private religious schools should have access to federal funds.
This follows years of growing momentum for school choice or policies that allow public funds to follow students to the schools they choose in order to receive the best education. By putting parents and students before schools, these programs empower families to pursue an education that is not only academically superior but also respects their spiritual and moral convictions. A number of states have passed school choice legislation in recent years. Currently, 16 states, plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, offer vouchers, and 17 states offer publicly funded education savings accounts or ESAs. Also, for the first time, the Republican Party added universal school choice to its platform.
Wherever it has passed, school choice laws have been a boon for Christian education. As one AP News article reported, vouchers have even made it easier for Christian schools to get off the ground, including for churches to meet congregants’ growing demand for Christian education. Conservative Christian schools accounted for 12% of the nation’s private education options during the 2021-22 academic school year. While not the largest of private education options, conservative Christian schools saw enrollment jump by 15% between 2019 and 2021.
There’s also significant momentum for religious education within public schools. Just as more private Christian schools have multiplied, religious “release time” programs have, too. In 1952, the Supreme Court ruled that religious education during public school hours was legal if a program was privately funded, held off school property, and secured parental consent. One group that has capitalized on this amazing opportunity in recent years is LifeWise Academy, which has “plug and play” resources to help churches and Christians launch Christian release time education programs in local public schools. Since 2018, LifeWise programs have launched in over 12 states for students at over 300 public schools. Every school week, 35,000 public school students are being taught about Jesus in LifeWise programs.
Perhaps the best way to describe what’s happened in education in recent years, which also includes growing dissatisfaction with the dominant public system, along with its ideologically aggressive curricula and teachers, is a reformation. Parents are speaking up more than ever, alternatives are being imagined and launched, and things once hidden in the status quo have been revealed. Christians should thank God and lean in for more. After all, we have an incredible opportunity right now to make the future better for generations to come, and Christian history is rife with educational innovation, renewal, and reform. We believe in education because we believe God made truth knowable and people to be knowers. With that in mind, let’s get to work.
Photo Courtesy: ©RNS/AP Photo/Grant Hindsley
Published Date: October 30, 2024
John Stonestreet is President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and radio host of BreakPoint, a daily national radio program providing thought-provoking commentaries on current events and life issues from a biblical worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN), and is the co-author of Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview.
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of CrosswalkHeadlines.
BreakPoint is a program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. BreakPoint commentaries offer incisive content people can't find anywhere else; content that cuts through the fog of relativism and the news cycle with truth and compassion. Founded by Chuck Colson (1931 – 2012) in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends. Today, you can get it in written and a variety of audio formats: on the web, the radio, or your favorite podcast app on the go.
