Parents should have the power to choose the best education for their children, according to a former elementary school principal who left her career in education after more than a decade to home-school her three kids.
"My strong opinion is: In America, we're free, and we need the opportunity to select our children's school," said Mandy Davis, who left her role as a private school principal just over a year ago. "That choice should always be in the hands of the parents."
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The debate over shool choice — the argument that tax dollars should follow a student rather than a specific school — has taken a front seat in recent years as states across the country enact legislation in favor of more educational options for students. Ohio last week joined Arizona, West Virginia, Iowa, Utah, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma in passing pro-school choice legislation.
"When it comes to school choice, we have this beautiful freedom to choose the best school choice for our children," Davis said. "And yet, as a society, we only normalize one school choice, and that's the traditional classroom model."
Davis began teaching in 2008 and advanced her education career all the way to becoming a private school principal in Central Oregon. But the former principal quit in June 2022 to home-school her three kids.
"I never thought 'one day I'll homeschool my kids,'" Davis said. "I feel like that's where a lot of parents sit. We don't have a lot of education around what are my school choice options, and how do I make that best decision for my children?"
Davis first switched her two oldest kids to private school in 2019 before moving them to home education. Her youngest will join them when he's old enough to start school.
She said the exodus of well-qualified teachers, the lack of one-on-one instruction and political bias in classroom discussions were among the many reasons she decided homeschooling was the best option for her kids.
"These are conversations we should be having year-over-year," Davis said. "What is the best school choice? How can I be evaluating if the school choice that we're making is meeting the needs of our family, and how can we pivot?"
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School choice policies can take various forms, including through vouchers providing families with money to send their children to their preferred school. Another method is to fund charter schools and magnet schools.
Supports have said more alternatives would help give poorer children access to private schools that are typically only available to more affluent families. But critics have argued that funding school choice options takes money away from public education.
"School choice needs to exist, and it needs to be in the power of those that have consent over their children," Davis told Fox News. "A lot of my concerns on what is also happening in schools today are taking a lot of power from the parents."
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The push for school choice has grown as debates over what topics are appropriate for classroom discussions, such as critical race theory and gender identity, have become flashpoints nationwide. Parents have increasingly spoken out at school board meetings to voice concerns and advocate for a say in their kids' education, but some, like Davis, have chosen to ditch the traditional school system altogether.
"I feel so confident in the decision that I made and confident in it being the right choice for our family," Davis said. "And we will, as a family, continue to discuss school choice year-over-year to make sure that confidence in the choice is still there."
Davis encouraged families to support school choice policies for their states so parents can decide the best education path for their kids. But the Oregon homeschool mom also said parents can take matters into their own hands even if their home states, like hers, don't have strong school choice policies.
"If you have a pull on your heart to home-school, try it," she said.
To hear more from a former educator on school choice, click here.
