Three things about education in America that should be pretty simple.
1. Every child should have a meaningful choice of school.
District public school, charter, private, religious, magnet, or homeschool—families should have options rather than being assigned a school primarily by ZIP code.
2. The money should follow the student.
Public education funding should be attached substantially to the child, not locked into a particular school system. If a family chooses a different eligible educational option, an appropriate share of the public funding should go with that student.
3. Schools should compete on results, not capture students.
Schools should have greater freedom to innovate, hire, teach, and organize—but parents should ultimately be able to reward successful schools by choosing them and leave schools that aren't serving their children well. Competition should be for students, not for taxpayers.