Key Findings

1. Economic lock-downs have disrupted the lives of millions of families.  Tens of thousands of schools will be closed partially or for the entirety of the fall semester.

2. Extraordinary hardships are being placed on parents who are working to ensure that children continue to learn.

3. Families are using tutors, creating learning plans, organizing childcare cooperatives, enrolling their children in community-built extracurricular activities, and upending their lives to provide the continued learning opportunities that many children have lacked for months. 

4. The sacrifices these families are making with their time, money, and careers – are immeasurable.

5. As families sacrifice to meet the needs of the day, politicians are debating how many billions of dollars should be spent on school buildings that education officials say will remain closed.

6. Additional education funds from current school budgets should be provided directly to families, via grants, stipends, rebates, or other mechanisms designed to help families cover the costs of schooling their children.

7. The “yes. every kid” organization has assembled a coalition of over fifty organizations calling for funding students and families instead of institutions.

Introduction

Washington Policy Center has joined over 50 independent policy organizations from around the country calling on Congress to promote school choice and to direct funding for students and families, instead of simply pouring money into established, union-dominated institutions.  The coalition has issued a statement calling for changes in education policy to provide public resources to families so that children can continue their education while schools are closed during the COVID-19 economic lock-down.

Read the full Policy Note here.