The American Federation for Children (AFC), which calls itself “the nation’s voice for school choice,” has started a new campaign titled Parents Know Best. Its goals are to engage parents in the pursuit of better educational options for their children and to help defend them against increased attacks on their judgment from special interest leaders.
Launched on April 5, the campaign seeks to better integrate the voice of parents into the ongoing education reform debate.
“While standard rhetoric between politicians, union leaders, media commentators, and educators continues, significant input from parents—the people who know their children best—has been noticeably absent from discussions of education reform and school choice,” the AFC’s statement says.
The Parents Know Best campaign “encourages parents to take a stand against policymakers and interest groups who presume they are better equipped to make decisions about how and where children should be educated than are the families themselves.”
To start the campaign, AFC produced a video that depicts a series of recent statements from special interest group leaders about why parents should have less of a role in choosing the best school for their child.
The video can be viewed at the new website, www.ParentsKnowBest.com.
“We believe it is essential to support families in their journey toward figuring out the best educational option for their children, and to make sure that they are not bullied by special interests intent on maintaining the educational status quo,” said Kevin P. Chavous, a senior adviser to AFC, in a release from the group.
The Parents Know Best campaign will also feature inspiring stories from parents who have exercised school choice, and provide informational resources to parents seeking better educational options for their children.
More information about the Parents Know Best campaign is available at the campaign’s website.