The purpose of K-12 education is to help students discover, develop, and apply their unique abilities, establishing a foundation for a life of contribution and fulfilment.
All students should have access to a quality education that helps them move forward on the path to realizing their full potential.
Hispanic families understand the life-changing value of educational opportunity. And they know that every student in America deserves a quality education that fits his or her unique talents. Time and time again, polls have shown that Hispanics rank education as a top issue.
Hispanic families also know that their children have different learning styles, abilities, and talents that are best met when they have access to several educational options. As evidence of this, Hispanics consistently show higher support for educational opportunity policies compared to other demographic groups. Our diversity is what makes our country and our communities strong, and we deserve educational options capable of fully leveraging it.
Our individualism is something to be celebrated, especially in our children. But when it comes to education, our children are often stuck in a one-size-fits-all system rather than one that focuses on what every individual child needs. The same educational setting and system that is effective for one child may not be effective for another.
The LIBRE Institute believes that students and families should have access to a quality education that fits their needs and helps them succeed. To honor the qualities and characteristics that make our children who they are, our education policies should expand the ability of families to choose the right school for their students, whether it’s public, private, charter, homeschooling, or a whole handful of other options. When families have the freedom to choose the best education for their children, everyone wins.
Ideally, K-12 education inspires curiosity, creativity, and the motivation to contribute. K-12 education can help students unlock their potential through a three-dimensional model of discovery and growth.
First, enable students to develop insight about themselves by identifying their talents and passions.
Second, help students gain the knowledge and values necessary to turn their talents into valued skills.
Third, provide opportunities for students to use those skills in constructive ways so students get the feedback and satisfaction that motivates lifelong learning and success through mutual benefit.
Unleashing Potential
Education should be an experience that fosters the unique potential of every student. Unfortunately, today’s system instead focuses more on the routine process of schooling—telling students to sit quietly and memorize information. The result is students who lack the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing world. It also fails our nation’s teachers, many of whom spend an average of 45 school days each year prepping for and administering standardized tests rather than engaging students in rich curriculum based on their needs.
An “All-of-the-Above” Approach to Increasing Opportunities in Education
Much of today’s education debate misses the point: It shouldn’t be about where students go to school. It should be about how to best meet each student’s own unique needs. It’s why we’ve united with teachers to promote various educational options that provide three-dimensional learning opportunities to students across the country—whether it be public or private, charter or home school, four-year college degrees or vocational training, or anything else.
