QP: 3 Ways New Oregon Leadership Can Improve K-12 Education Fast

Full Text: Oregon soon will have new statewide leadership. Oregon’s education policies need to catch up with students’ learning needs, and fresh leadership provides opportunities to respond to parents’ demand for more choices in K-12 education. Here are three ways Oregon leaders can improve education in 2023: 1. Support Oregon’s thriving public charter schools by raising the legislative cap on charter enrollment. Removing the enrollment cap would allow successful charters to meet student demand. 2. Expand district transfer policies so parents can choose among public options. This would create incentives for schools to respond to families’ needs and concerns, and reward public schools that achieve better outcomes. 3. Convert a portion of state-level funding to portable accounts for students to use where they learn best. Education funding is allocated per child and paid directly to district schools, regardless of student outcomes or parent satisfaction. Allowing some of this money to follow the child would empower parents to find the right fit for their students to succeed. Shifting from top-down mandates to expanding options for families would work miracles for students and promote improvement in Oregon schools. Thirty-two states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have enacted student-centric educational choice programs. Oregon should join them, so families can match their children’s needs and goals with the educational environments that will serve them well.