Every two years, the nation’s schools get their own report card, and this year’s report card contains stunning results for Colorado families.

The U.S. Department of Education administers the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is commonly referred to as the “the nation’s report card” because it is administered in all fifty states.

It provides the most complete data on how Colorado stacks up against other states on student performance on core subjects like reading and math. Colorado’s public school students typically outscored the national averages on reading and math, which is a reflection of the hard work Colorado’s teachers and students put in on a daily basis.

But this year’s NAEP results also contained a truly incredible finding: Colorado’s public charter schools outperform every other state in the nation in both 8th grade math and 8th grade reading.

For those unfamiliar with charter schools, they are tuition-free public schools that are open and accessible to every student. Like all public schools, charter schools are required to follow all state and federal laws relating to accountability, discrimination, and testing. Colorado public charter schools serve a higher percentage of minority students and English language learners than traditional public schools in the state.

So, what is the secret sauce for Colorado’s charter schools?

Charters are unique in two key ways: First, they are public schools of choice, meaning students only attend if parents choose to send their kids to the school. This competitive pressure ensures that schools are responsive to student and family needs. Second, the people closest to the children – teachers and principals – are given the autonomy to make real decisions. This allows educators to adapt to the needs of their individual students.

In light of these truly amazing results, every candidate for office in Colorado in 2018 should answer this question on education: How are you going to give more families the opportunity and ability to choose a high-quality public charter school?

Colorado’s public charter schools outperform every other state in the nation in both 8th grade math and 8th grade reading.

Of course, there are many more education issues that our next Governor and state legislature need to address, but no candidate should be able to slip by voters without making clear whether they want to help expand the number of school choice options available to Colorado families.

Colorado has a long history of strong bipartisan support for school choice and public charter schools. Coming out of the Democratic and Republican assemblies last weekend, we have a clearer picture of the field for 2018.

On the Republican side, nearly all the candidates expressed strong support for school choice, charter schools, and empowering parents. On the Democratic side, it was decidedly more mixed, as was displayed when the crowd booed a public charter school teacher who expressed support for education reform in order to better serve disadvantaged students.

This perplexing display was a break from the longstanding bipartisan consensus around public charter schools. Democratic and Republican policymakers should be proud that they have been able to work together to create the environment where Colorado’s public charter school students (over 120,000 Colorado kids) outperform their peers in all fifty states.

Instead of attacking what’s clearly working so well for kids, let’s hope Colorado’s next crop of candidates focus on addressing the challenges that stop more families from choosing a great school. At the top of the list are the barriers that prevent educators from opening more high-quality charters in needy communities, like access to transportation, district facilities, and equal funding. The state should also create new pathways for charter schools to open that have a proven track record of success.

We know what works. The only question is whether our future elected officials will have the courage to do what’s right for kids.