America’s one-size-fits-all K-12 education system is failing far too many students. DFI supports policies that ensure all Americans have the freedom to choose the education that is best for them and believes that families who choose district schools should have confidence that their children’s needs take precedence over the concerns of union activists, school district bureaucrats, and extremist civil rights groups.
Teacher Unions
Union leaders and their allies have used their political power to push aside parents, families, and classroom teachers to dominate public education in ways that harm students and limit their opportunities. Rather than focus on academic rigor, individual learning, and innovative teaching, union activists pursue a woke ideological agenda in classrooms that ignores sound academics and causes good classroom teachers to leave the profession. DFI works to hold teacher unions accountable and expose the harm that they continue to cause students, families and teachers.
Parents’ Rights
Parents have the right to direct the education of their children, yet too often face a public education establishment out sync with their values. Well-documented efforts to indoctrinate students in radical concepts like gender identity theory and the use of academically inferior curricula like the 1619 Project have created a critical mass of outraged parents who simply no longer trust their schools. New legislation that allows parents to go to court to enforce their rights under laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Protection of Pupils Rights Amendment are critically important for parents seeking answers from uncooperative school districts.
Education Freedom
Our nation’s one-size-fits-all K–12 system continues to fall short for too many families. With the passage of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, the country now has a landmark opportunity to expand education freedom at an unprecedented scale. DFI is at the forefront of that work and will not rest until every American family can choose the education setting that best meets their child’s needs. Our vision is a future where education funding truly follows students, not systems, and every family has the freedom to chart the path that works for them.
Restructuring the U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education has failed in its mission since its creation in 1980. Even after spending trillions of dollars, student outcomes are at record lows. Nearly 70% of 4th graders cannot read at grade level. DFI supports restructuring, and ultimately eliminating, the Department so decisions about education return to states, communities, and families. By removing Washington as a costly pass-through entity controlled by the powerful teacher unions, we can empower states, reduce federal overreach, and build a K-12n educational system that is responsive to students and families—not bureaucrats.