Do Parents Really Know What’s Best for Their Kids?

Based on the new podcast series: Tough Questions with Robert Enlow 

One myth has lingered in education circles for decades: Can parents actually be trusted to make good decisions about their children’s schooling?

Some argue that experts, administrators, or “the system” know better. Others insist that parents should remain the primary educational decision-makers. In the latest episode of Tough Questions with Robert Enlow, we tackled this head-on.

Parents Are, and Always Have Been, the First Educators

In 1925, the Supreme Court affirmed a foundational truth that “the child is not the mere creature of the State” (Pierce v. Society of Sisters). Parents have the primary right to guide their children’s upbringing and education.

That’s not just legal precedent, it’s common sense. Parents make every major decision for their kids: doctors and medical care; food, health, and safety; faith and values; and daily routines. Education is no different.

Parents are the ones who see their child’s struggles, strengths, anxieties, and dreams up close. School choice simply aligns policy with reality: families know their kids best.

The “Parents Can’t Be Trusted” Narrative Has Problematic Roots

Doubting parents isn’t new. Historically, this mindset emerged from:

• A system that centralized decision-making: As public education consolidated, from 50,000+ school districts in the mid-20th century to just 13,000 today, families gradually lost local control. Choice narrowed to one option: the school tied to your ZIP code.
• A belief that government experts always know best: When one system dominates, people often assume it must be the only correct one.
• A more troubling history: Opponents of school choice often direct the “parents don’t know best” critique toward low-income families and families of color. Milton Friedman called this argument what it is: a gratuitous insult.

Families do not lack capacity. They often lack power and information, and school choice helps restore both.

What Does the Research Say? Parents Make Good Decisions and Outcomes Improve

When parents gain the ability to choose:

• Kids perform slightly better academically: Long-term research shows modest but meaningful gains in achievement, especially after students adjust to their new environment.
• Kids experience stronger long-term success: Students in choice programs:
  • Graduate at higher rates
  • Enter college at higher rates
  • Persist in college at higher rates
• Kids experience stronger social and civic outcomes: This may be the most underreported discovery in education research: Students in private choice programs tend to be more tolerant, more civically knowledgeable, and more engaged.
• Parents become more involved in their children’s learning: When parents choose, their engagement increases: meetings, communication, teacher interaction, and monitoring progress.
• Public schools improve, too: Even researchers who oppose school choice acknowledge that competition often leads to faster improvement in public schools.

This is what a win-win-win looks like.

The Bottom Line

The idea that parents can’t be trusted with educational decisions isn’t supported by research, common sense, history, or lived experience.

When parents are empowered:

• Kids thrive academically
• Kids grow socially and civically
• Public schools improve
• Communities strengthen

When parents gain agency, they don’t choose recklessly. They choose responsibly, thoughtfully, and often sacrificially.

Listen to the full podcast here.

---

Resources: 

• 123s of School Choice
• Multiple sources on civic values and practices
• Multiple sources on integration
• Multiple sources on parent satisfaction
• Multiple sources of academic outcomes of choice participants
• A Win-Win Solution The Empirical Evidence on School Choice
• Who’s Afraid of School Choice?