‘Parent trigger’ laws: A radio debate

This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.

Since the recent release of the school-reform movie Won’t Back Down, the issue of "parent trigger" laws is becoming a hotly debated topic, and today it was the subject of a segment on WHYY-FM’s Radio Times.

Listen to Notebook blogger and Parents United founder Helen Gym debate the realities and consequences of these laws, which allow parents to intervene in low-performing schools, with Matthew Brouillette, president of the Commonwealth Foundation, a think tank that favors free-market policies. The conversation also addresses school choice and charter schools.

Helen Gym is a blogger and board member of the Notebook, but the opinions expressed in the radio show are entirely her own.