Parent Trigger Laws Lauded as Powerful Tools for Education Reform

A new report argues that more states should implement Parent Trigger laws as a mechanism for bottom-up education reform. The Heartland Institute argues that top-down efforts to implement education reforms have not proven successful, so it is time to implement bottom-up reforms by empowering parents, communities, and individual schools.

The report says the laws are increasingly recognized “as one of the most powerful ways to improve schools.”

To date, seven states have some version of the Parent Trigger in place, while at least 20 states have seen Parent Trigger bills filed. The report defines Parent Trigger as “the notion that if a majority of parents and guardians of children attending a particular public school sign a petition demanding reform, then the school district must do as the parents ask.”