Press Releases

Today, Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Committee Chairman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at a hearing titled "Education Without Limits: Exploring the Benefits of School Choice":
 
"Education outcomes in the United States continue to plummet. The recently released 'Nation’s Report Card' paints an alarming picture: math and reading scores continue to decline despite a steady increase in overall spending; as a result, millions of young people are being deprived of the skills needed for success in college, careers, and life. This is also a long-term risk to our nation’s prosperity and security. We are at risk of losing our edge to countries that are doing a better job educating the next generation.

"Yet amidst this troubling landscape, there are positive outliers. Across the nation, there are many outstanding schools of all kinds, with dedicated teachers and administrators, that are defying the odds and getting tremendous results for their students. In particular, states and communities that have embraced school choice, in all its forms, are defying the national trend. These success stories provide a starting point for the education reform that America needs.

"Indeed, America’s education landscape is increasingly a tale of two models. On one hand, some states have used every lever of policy to limit the options available to families. These jurisdictions share certain perverse features: students are assigned to a neighborhood school with few if any alternatives; instruction is driven by top-down bureaucratic requirements, with little regard for learning outcomes; educators are given lifetime job security yet denied meaningful professional development; the same things are done, year after year, impervious to changes in the world, technology, or the science of learning – with parents kept at arms’ length through it all.This is the model behind American educational decline. It is the model that the Biden administration did everything possible to reinforce.

"Fortunately, the second model has gained significant traction in recent years, and it flips every aspect of this failed model on its head: parents select a school that is right for their child; educators receive the support they need and are expected to perform; schools that fail to get results lose students and eventually may cease to exist; those that succeed attract more students and continue to innovate and grow – with parents in the drivers’ seat, through and through.

"This is the School Choice Model, which President Trump’s first education executive orders aim to reinforce. There are now 81 private school choice programs across 33 states serving 1.2 million students, which is about double the number of students served just 3 years ago. The percentage of school-age students homeschooling has roughly doubled since 2019. There are also a variety of school choice programs within traditional public school systems, such as those that allow open enrollment within a district or transfers across districts, or offer choices like magnet schools or career education-focused schools. 

"But the form of school choice that I believe shows the most promise, in elevating student achievement and closing achievement gaps at scale, is charter schools. Since 2005-2006, the number of charter schools has doubled and charter enrollment has tripled to over 3.7 million students.

"Unlike traditional public schools, to which students get assigned based on their neighborhood, charters are schools of choice that families choose to attend. Such schools are publicly funded, but they only receive that funding if they attract families to opt in – and they are held accountable for student learning outcomes. In exchange, charters are generally freed from top-down bureaucratic requirements and can operate with greater flexibility and autonomy, allowing them to innovate in line with their own educational vision.

"This model has proven enormously successful. A 2023 Stanford CREDO study found that charter students gain an additional six days of learning in math and 16 days in reading per year compared to their district school peers. These gains are especially significant for historically underserved communities.

"Take two powerful examples. The Success Academy charter network has over 50 schools in New York City serving mostly low-income, minority students. Success Academy has ranked number one in the entire state of New York in math scores. And the KIPP Charter Network, which stands for Knowledge is Power Program, has over 240 schools nationwide focused on underserved communities. A 2023 Mathematica study found KIPP students were twice as likely to complete college as their peers. 

"The opposition to charters by the Biden administration, and political leaders in states like California, is also revealing: after all, these are public schools that are open to all, tuition free. Yet they have become the target of funding cuts, enrollment caps, authorizing obstacles, and harassing regulations. From Gavin Newsom to Bill de Blasio to Joe Biden, a certain faction of the Democrat party has been bent on closing public charter schools and stopping new ones from opening. This proves beyond doubt that opposition to school choice is not about protecting the public school system; that’s just a self-serving justification concocted by those who want to preserve a failed education model – and cater to the interests that feed off it – while denying choices to parents and dooming students to less promising lives. 

"Beyond just charters, generally research shows that students in school choice programs do better academically, their parents are more satisfied, and the students are more likely to graduate. We also know that parents overwhelmingly want these options. More than 70 percent of respondents to a RealClear Opinion Research survey support school choice, including 82 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of Democrats, and 67 percent of Independents. A January 2025 survey similarly found that 81 percent of voters agree that the government should empower parents and prioritize individual students’ needs by providing greater access and more choices to ensure children receive the best education.

"School choice is also key to creating better traditional public schools. In fact, research suggests that traditional public schools perform better when they face competition from school choice. We should all want traditional public schools to be the best they can be; while many schools have embraced woke ideologies, there are also many teachers and school leaders who are doing an admirable job to help students learn. Embracing school choice means that parents should have a range of high-quality education options – including their neighborhood public school. 

"Education is fundamentally a state and local issue, but there is also a limited role for the federal government. For example, the Educational Choice for Children Act, which I am co-sponsoring, would create a federal tax credit so that donors could better fund private scholarships for children across the nation. This bill would help ensure that students even in states without school choice programs could access the education they need. In addition, federal charter school grants – which President Biden tried to reduce – are vital for many founders starting new charters or replicating successful schools. And finally, we can highlight the benefits of school choice and encourage the expansion of successful programs across this country.

"This can be the year that we begin reversing the decline of American education, and today’s hearing is an important first step."

 

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