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Goldwater's Back-to-School Toolkit

August 29, 2024
by Goldwater Institute

School is back in session, and it’s time for parents and families to gear up for a successful year ahead. Preparing your child for the new school year involves more than just getting school supplies—it’s about ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and values that will guide them through life. That’s why the Goldwater Institute is offering a comprehensive Back-to-School Toolkit designed to empower you as a parent.

Whether it’s understanding your parental rights, engaging with your child’s curriculum, or ensuring that they receive a well-rounded education rooted in the principles of freedom and opportunity, we’ve got you covered.

The Goldwater Institute believes in the importance of teaching children the fundamentals upon which our nation was founded—values like liberty, personal responsibility, and the pursuit of happiness. We want every child to understand that the American Dream is within their reach, and it starts with a solid educational foundation.

1. School Choice

School choice ensures that every family has the freedom to pursue educational excellence for their children—regardless of their geographic location or socioeconomic background. School choice empowers parents and leads to better educational outcomes for students and better life outcomes, too: research demonstrates that school choice is linked to higher test scores, lower dropout rates, increased college attendance, and a decreased likelihood of substance abuse and adult incarceration.

 

2. Education Savings Accounts

Goldwater-designed Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) make school choice a reality. With an ESA, a state deposits a portion of a child’s funds from the state education formula in a private account that parents can use toward private school tuition, personal tutors, education therapists, homeschooling curricula, online classes, and more. Nineteen states have adopted Goldwater ESA legislation, which benefits over 325,000 students. Eight states now offer even more expansive Universal ESAs, which benefit all families with school-age children.

 

3. AskYourSchoolNow.com

Goldwater’s AskYourSchoolNow.com website provides legal insight into parents’ rights and the latest public-school news. It is an information hub and tool of transparency. Visit the site today to access free resources that will arm you as an advocate for your child’s education!

 

4. Get in touch with a lawyer to protect your parental rights

Your children do not belong to the state — no matter what the school district or state department of education may say. Attorneys with the Goldwater Institute and our American Freedom Network (AFN) work pro bono to advance liberty with meaningful
cases ranging from free speech to taxpayer rights to government transparency. Contact the Goldwater Institute to put one of our atttorneys to work protecting your rights as parents!

 

5. A is for the American Dream

The American Dream is for children as well as adults! This Goldwater-produced children’s book helps parents teach their boys and girls the principles upon which our nation was founded: liberty, bravery, hard work, and opportunity. It’s never too early to inspire our children with lessons about this land we love!

 

6. Foundations of Freedom

This acclaimed series of 10 educational videos has already reached more than 1.5 million online viewers on YouTube. These pro-liberty videos cover such topics as the Abolition of Slavery, the Environment, Equality, Why the Government Doesn’t Know Best, the Pursuit of Happiness, the Rule of Law, Free Speech, Pride, Government-Run Education, and the Power of Property.

 

7. Curriculum

The Goldwater Institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy is producing high-quality curricular materials for high school students that focus on actual history, not political activism and propaganda. These materials are anchored by a magnificent new textbook: Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story.

 

 

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