If the last few years have shown us anything, it is that the school choice revolution is here. Parents across the country are desperate for more options to give their children access to a high-quality education. The government monopoly on education means that tens of thousands of students are stuck in underperforming schools, trapped by their zip codes. Other students are forced to attend schools where radical administrators and teachers teach dangerous ideologies like DEI and CRT – often without parental knowledge or consent. The battle to expand school choice is one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time, and Accuracy in Media has been at the forefront of this fight. We’re working around the clock to fight DEI and make quality education a reality for parents and students all over the country.
The introduction of DEI into school curriculums nationwide has had devastating and lasting effects, and the recent rise in antisemitism on college campuses has underscored the crippling side effects of teaching these hateful ideologies in K-12 schools. DEI sparks division and embeds an “us versus them” mentality into young, impressionable students. Children are taught that they are either oppressors or the oppressed, based solely on immutable characteristics that they have no control over. Some state and local governments have started taking action against DEI and similarly harmful curriculums, but unfortunately, these laws are often easily circumvented or ignored entirely.
Over the past two years, Accuracy in Media has launched multiple investigations to verify whether public schools are complying with DEI and CRT bans. From Ohio to Texas, Accuracy in Media went undercover to meet with educators across the country. Teachers and administrators admitted to using convoluted language to circumvent state bans, and some even bragged about keeping their biased curriculums under the radar of parents. Taxpayer-funded educators and administrators should never be permitted to teach their radical agendas in the classroom, and parents should never be kept in the dark about what their kids are learning at school. Our investigations, once again, underscored the desperate need for school choice.
Thankfully, the fight for school choice is picking up steam across the nation. More and more states are passing some form of school choice every year. In 2023 alone, 20 states made the decision to expand school choice, and that number is growing. Many states are even embracing universal school choice – an approach that refrains from imposing income caps or other limits on students seeking alternative educational options. To date, 12 states have rolled out universal or near-universal school choice initiatives. Just last month, Louisiana became the latest state to adopt this policy when Gov. Jeff Landry signed the state’s first Education Savings Program into law.
While these are encouraging developments, the battle is not over. Certain politicians, propped up by high-powered, well-funded teachers unions, refuse to support school choice. In deep red Texas, several Republicans joined Democrats to block school choice initiatives last legislative session. In response, AIM deployed mobile billboards to expose legislators who refused to support school choice – and our efforts made a difference. Their constituents saw the full extent of their decision to prioritize politics and campaign donations over the well-being of their districts. In the Texas Republican primary, half of the legislators who voted to block school choice lost their elections to candidates who supported it. Similarly, in Oklahoma’s June primary, school choice candidates overwhelmingly won their races. The results of these elections speak volumes. Parents want to be in charge of their children’s education, and they’re speaking out at the ballot box.
School choice bills are even making headway in blue states, where similar initiatives were previously voted down. In Pennsylvania, a school voucher bill is on the table once again after legislators – backed by big labor – blocked it last year. Over the past year, the push for school choice in Pennsylvania has garnered a strong coalition of support. Celebrities like Jay-Z have come out to support the bill, and a group of black pastors recently sent a letter to Gov. Josh Shapiro highlighting the urgent need to pass this legislation. The bill has successfully passed the Senate Education Committee, and we will be watching closely to see the outcome. Pennsylvania legislators would be wise to learn a lesson from the Texas and Oklahoma primaries.
The fight for school choice has been long and grueling, but it has been worthwhile. Although there is still work to be done, we are already seeing promising results nationwide. We hope this momentum will lead to results in more states across the country, but in the meantime, we will remain committed to the fight. AIM will continue exposing legislators who refuse to back school choice, and we will continue to expose educators who promote their radical ideologies in the classroom. The fight for school choice has never been more important.
Adam Guillette is the President of Accuracy in Media. Accuracy in Media uses investigative journalism and cultural activism to expose corruption and hold bad public policy actors accountable. Previously, Guillette launched the Florida chapter of Americans for Prosperity and served as vice president of Project Veritas. Since 2004, Adam has served as Distinguished Faculty member for the Leadership Institute.