I believe education is a commitment by our nation to expand opportunity, strengthen democracy, and design a future that serves all students. As one of this issue’s contributors reminds us, teaching is a political act in the truest sense: not partisan, but profoundly civic. It is how we move democracy forward.

Teachers are completely overwhelmed. The job of “teacher” often has no beginning or end, and self-sacrifice is too often the baseline expectation. Teachers are expected to craft thoughtful lesson plans that meet the needs of all learners. They are expected to follow strict curricula, even when those curricula are untested or unproven. They are expected to anticipate student needs, build trust, support students emotionally and socially, and provide for their basic needs. 

Magnet schools were designed in part to help integrate schools and provide unique learning opportunities for students. Courts have often approved magnet schools as a remedial tool as part of broader integration efforts in school desegregation cases. But what does this mean in the current education policy and legal landscape? 

Many states and districts across the country are facing declining student enrollment, and with it, declining per pupil funding from state and federal revenuesources. They are simultaneously experiencing the “fiscal cliff” that occurred when billions of dollars in federal Covid-relief funding ran out in 2024. Districts often turn to school consolidations or closures in these times, but they do not always save as much money as hoped, and the underlying school closures disproportionately hurt students of color (especially Black students) and students living in poverty. This is a difficult time for those whose job it is to balance a school district’s budget.

When a member of Congress walks into a magnet school, they’re not just touring classrooms; they’re stepping into a story. Every student they meet, every teacher they hear from, and every display they see can illustrate how federal support translates into opportunity, innovation, and thriving communities. That’s exactly what happened when School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties welcomed Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) for a special visit to showcase one of the district’s newest magnet schools.

I’d spent a week preparing for a biology quiz, with hours rearranging formulas and re-reading lines out of a textbook. When I opened the packet the next day, I was shocked by one of the questions. Among its many questions about eukaryotic cells and chemical equations, a single word appeared after a multiple-choice question: Why? In every class, I was always asked that simple question. At first, it felt tedious to explain myself constantly, but I soon realized what the teachers around me were doing.