OPINION
Education is a cornerstone of our society, shaping the minds of future generations and preparing them for the challenges ahead. As we seek to enhance the educational experience in America, it's crucial to approach reform through a lens that values parental involvement, discipline, and a focus on foundational learning.
Prioritizing education creates better outcomes for our entire nation, creating a great opportunity for Republicans to prove they are the party of family values and take the lead on education reform. Republicans around the nation have an excellent opportunity to improve their communities through reforming our education system.
Take my home state of Delaware. While we might have been the first state to sign the Constitution, we rank almost dead last in quality of education.
However, our system is ripe for reform that Republicans around the nation should adopt to ensure students across the country have the best opportunity for success after graduation, creating a more prosperous nation.
At the heart of any successful educational system is the active participation of parents. Schools should encourage parents to engage in their children's education through regular communication and involvement in school activities.
Legislative measures can be introduced to promote parent-teacher associations (PTAs) and community workshops that educate parents on how best to support their children academically. Additionally, schools could host town hall meetings to gather parent input on school policies and curricula.
In Virginia, prioritizing parents over bureaucrats created an environment that allowed Republicans to win all three executive offices for the first time in decades. Parents are voters, and their children will be voters.
We should advocate for our parents, not ignore them, so their children have the tools and resources to become successful members of our communities.
Our problems, however, were not created by parents.
School districts have been saddled with mandates that stipulate how their funds should be spent — resulting in the 10th highest amount spent per student in the nation. For spending so much more than the average state, our test scores and quality of education do not show it.
Creating a conducive learning environment requires discipline. Schools must establish clear behavioral expectations and consequences.
Legislation that supports schools in implementing consistent disciplinary practices will help ensure that all students can learn without disruption. This includes restorative discipline adjustments that focus on correcting behavior rather than simply punishing it, allowing students to learn from their mistakes while maintaining a safe environment.
To help with discipline and ensure a safe learning environment, Republicans nationwide are fighting to increase the number of school resource officers (SROs) to enhance school safety measures and prevent more tragedies. Our teachers are already burned out due to workload; we should not worsen that burnout due to a lack of discipline in our schools.
We must also address an issue, created in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that prohibits students from paying attention in class.
The pervasive use of cellphones and technology in classrooms can hinder the learning process. Schools should establish clear policies regarding cellphone usage, promoting responsible behavior that minimizes distractions.
Solutions may include designated phone-free zones or specific times for phone use, ensuring that technology enhances rather than detracts from education. Some states have even gone so far as to ban cellphones altogether so students have a distraction-free environment conducive to learning.
In Delaware, we are addressing this by embracing vocational education that gets students out of the classroom and gives them hands-on experience. This provides our students with the skills necessary to succeed after high school and allows them to embrace new creative avenues that encourage growth.
Many states have begun to take proactive measures to ensure public schools and educators have the resources necessary to provide quality education to their students while also expanding charter schools, which can provide families with more educational choices and foster competition, often leading to improved quality in traditional public schools.
Unelected bureaucrats, enabled by inaction from state legislatures, have created an environment in many states that promotes students who have not demonstrated mastery of the material and undermines educational integrity.
It is essential to establish policies that ensure grade promotion is based on academic achievement. Legislators can promote standards that require students to meet specific criteria before advancing to the next grade.
If Republicans want to win, they need to take seriously the feelings and concerns of parents, teachers, and students. By addressing the issues that prevent our students from achieving their dreams, allowing districts to be more flexible in how they allocate their resources, and bridging the focus back to the basics, we can create an environment in which students are equipped to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Republican state Rep. Lyndon Yearick is the Delaware House minority whip.
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