As the coronavirus surges in several parts of the country, the debate about when and how to reopen schools is such a contentious issue in part because the United States funds school systems instead of students. In this segment on Fox News Channel’s The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton, I argue that we should fund individuals instead of systems to empower families—just like we do with several other taxpayer-funded initiatives, including Pell Grants, the GI Bill, pre-K programs, and more.
With so much uncertainty surrounding schools, we also discuss how families are searching for alternatives to the traditional K-12 public school system, such as micro-schools and homeschool co-ops. More families would have access to these alternatives if education funding followed children to wherever they receive their educations. Teachers could also benefit from such a system, which would likely offer them smaller class sizes, more autonomy, and higher salaries.