Gov. Abbott wrong on Pre-K, right on choice in education

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Robert Pratt

In Governor Abbott’s State of the State address there were items on public education that deserve criticism and others praise.

Starting with the bad, Abbott continues his push for more so-called “high-quality Pre-K”, whatever that actually means in practice is beyond me. But what I do understand is that Pre-K is simply another way to get children under the influence of the state as opposed to parents and is an original goal of Marxists.

Additionally, experience shows Pre-K doesn’t result in long term gains for students. Oklahoma’s big “free” preschool program for all 4-year-olds didn’t raise outcomes at all by fourth grade [1].

Image: Greg Abbott

Governor Abbott

Abbott should cease his push for this Leftist program and stick with what he said about CPS reform: “We must remember that the best place for a child, if at all possible, is with their parents.” That includes when they are developmentally sensitive 4-year-olds, Governor Abbott.

In a better section of the speech, when calling for choice in education, Governor Abbott said: “But school finance is not about financing our schools. Nor is it about lining the pockets of the lawyers and lobbyists who capitalize off the backs of our students. It’s about providing our kids with the best education possible.”

The point is that public education money doesn’t exist to support specific bureaucracies, buildings, or advocates. The money is collected to provide an education to children and we should be open to any effective means to achieve that goal as opposed to being locked into a “that’s the way we’ve always done it” model.

Leave children with parents as much as possible and when we do put them in schools, that schooling should be what those parents choose as best for their children – not the choice of government bureaucrats as our system provides for now.

For more on choice see: Texas school choice bill frees students, leaves money – Watchdog.org

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