To coincide with both the Democrat Nation Convention and the Republican National Convention, the Alliance for School Choice (ASC) distributed this press release making the strong, sound case for school choice. ASC’s release makes several strong arguments that school choice produces real results and helps the public school system by adding competition to the mix.
In Missouri school choice is becoming a great option for parents who have children in failing and unaccredited schools. Although strides have been made in this area, there is much more work to be done to make sure children and their parents have real options when making decisions on education. For example, charter schools are currently only allowed to operate in the St. Louis and Kansas City school districts. These schools that are held accountable for educating children should be allowed to operate in other markets in Missouri. Children need options all across the state, not only in St. Louis and Kansas City. Also, scholarship tax credits must be available for special needs and low income families so they can chart the best course for their child’s education. All too often these groups who need the most help are left behind and given little or no options to provide a good education for their child.
ASC’s press release makes strong arguments for the need for school choice not only in Missouri, but all across the country. Hopefully leaders in both political parties will take note of the positives that school choice offers and work to offer options to all children.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Public School Support for Choice
The Voice for School Choice brings some good and interesting news from the public education sector. According to a new study by the Hoover Institute, 46% of public school teachers surveyed are in favor of tax credits for education, and only 41% opposed the idea.
This is incredibly important when we consider that the teachers’ unions (who are supposed to represent teachers’ interests) have acted out vehemently against any type of parental choice.
When even public school teachers are supporting educational options and other methods like merit pay and increased accountability and transparency, we have to wonder what is standing in the way of moving forward on reforming education from the outside in.
There is ample evidence to support the notion that public schools actually thrive on competition—they don’t implode! Teachers are noticing this more and more, and see the benefit choice holds for the diverse body of students they teach every day. The only explanation for the union’s opposition must be that they are protecting bad teachers and the status quo of poorly-run administrations.
My experience in a great public school supports this notion. We had a private school in town, but I much preferred my experience at public school. I learned upon entering college that my classes prepared me much better than some of my private-school counterparts. I had more opportunities to get involved in a rich extracurricular world, and so I know that good public schools can stand up against private ones. But if I had been less fortunate, and my public school was less challenging and advanced, the status quo of public education ignores my potential for the sake of structure.
The Voice for School Choice sums it up well:
“if quality instruction and equality of opportunity are the ultimate objective, we need to value education in itself, not just esteem the government apparatus that claims sole license to provide it.”
This is incredibly important when we consider that the teachers’ unions (who are supposed to represent teachers’ interests) have acted out vehemently against any type of parental choice.
When even public school teachers are supporting educational options and other methods like merit pay and increased accountability and transparency, we have to wonder what is standing in the way of moving forward on reforming education from the outside in.
There is ample evidence to support the notion that public schools actually thrive on competition—they don’t implode! Teachers are noticing this more and more, and see the benefit choice holds for the diverse body of students they teach every day. The only explanation for the union’s opposition must be that they are protecting bad teachers and the status quo of poorly-run administrations.
My experience in a great public school supports this notion. We had a private school in town, but I much preferred my experience at public school. I learned upon entering college that my classes prepared me much better than some of my private-school counterparts. I had more opportunities to get involved in a rich extracurricular world, and so I know that good public schools can stand up against private ones. But if I had been less fortunate, and my public school was less challenging and advanced, the status quo of public education ignores my potential for the sake of structure.
The Voice for School Choice sums it up well:
“if quality instruction and equality of opportunity are the ultimate objective, we need to value education in itself, not just esteem the government apparatus that claims sole license to provide it.”
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A Parents’ Bill of Rights was recently reintroduced by Rep. Cynthia Davis, delineating the role of parents in a child’s education.
In thinking back over the US Bill of Rights, the Civil Rights Amendments, the Bill of Women’s Rights and the International Bill of Human Rights, many of these statements seem second nature to us in the 21st Century. Of course women should be allowed to vote, and of course we cannot discriminate based on race or gender. But at the time, those protections were not widely accepted—thus the necessity to spell it out. This is simply American History 101, but it wasn’t that long ago that civil rights and suffragists were fighting for the most basic protection from their government.
Parents are a group deserving protection as well, but their status as a group that needs it has gotten little to no attention because it’s not sensational. But for decades parents have been relegated to the back of the bus when it comes to deciding what’s best for their child. All things illegal set aside; the schools have circumvented parents’ authority to decide what is best for the education of a child. There are ministerial reason for a child to attend this school and not that, to receive this kind of special education class or tutoring—and those often trump the individual needs of a child. The Parent is the natural counterweight to promote the child’s best interest against the school’s interest in serving children as a whole.
We live in a country blessed by its commitment to individual freedoms, and having a safeguard for parents to promote the rights of the children they bathe, clothe, get to school on time and sacrifice to raise may seem redundant, but is in fact vital so that parents and others know the extent of parental rights and how they can and cannot be addressed in laws and policies.
In thinking back over the US Bill of Rights, the Civil Rights Amendments, the Bill of Women’s Rights and the International Bill of Human Rights, many of these statements seem second nature to us in the 21st Century. Of course women should be allowed to vote, and of course we cannot discriminate based on race or gender. But at the time, those protections were not widely accepted—thus the necessity to spell it out. This is simply American History 101, but it wasn’t that long ago that civil rights and suffragists were fighting for the most basic protection from their government.
Parents are a group deserving protection as well, but their status as a group that needs it has gotten little to no attention because it’s not sensational. But for decades parents have been relegated to the back of the bus when it comes to deciding what’s best for their child. All things illegal set aside; the schools have circumvented parents’ authority to decide what is best for the education of a child. There are ministerial reason for a child to attend this school and not that, to receive this kind of special education class or tutoring—and those often trump the individual needs of a child. The Parent is the natural counterweight to promote the child’s best interest against the school’s interest in serving children as a whole.
We live in a country blessed by its commitment to individual freedoms, and having a safeguard for parents to promote the rights of the children they bathe, clothe, get to school on time and sacrifice to raise may seem redundant, but is in fact vital so that parents and others know the extent of parental rights and how they can and cannot be addressed in laws and policies.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Hope for Reform In Cape
No Child Left Behind—love it or hate it, it’s a law. The law specifies that children in a failing school have a right to transfer to a neighboring school district if the district they are currently assigned to is failing to meet basic standards. Students in Cape school district at Jefferson Elementary will have that choice this year, and officials have said that every transfer request will be accepted by the receiving school. The No Child Left Behind Law states that districts are required to allow parents to move in the case of a Title 1 designation or loss of accreditation.
The noteworthy part of this story is that some school districts in Missouri haven’t afforded parents and students the right to choose another district, even though it is part of the national law. St. Louis Public Schools and neighboring districts did everything they could to block students from transferring after the district lost accreditation. Unlike the Cape district, they took no action to notify parents of their options, and adjacent districts refused to accept students from St. Louis Public Schools seeking to transfer under the provision of NCLB.
What recourse do parents have when their school district refuses to comply with the law? I think the only option would be to bring a lawsuit, which is too costly and time consuming to be a reasonable recourse. St. Louis families are essentially held hostage by the district—but if parental choice was the standard in Missouri they would not be faced with this conundrum and could seek out an appropriate education.
The noteworthy part of this story is that some school districts in Missouri haven’t afforded parents and students the right to choose another district, even though it is part of the national law. St. Louis Public Schools and neighboring districts did everything they could to block students from transferring after the district lost accreditation. Unlike the Cape district, they took no action to notify parents of their options, and adjacent districts refused to accept students from St. Louis Public Schools seeking to transfer under the provision of NCLB.
What recourse do parents have when their school district refuses to comply with the law? I think the only option would be to bring a lawsuit, which is too costly and time consuming to be a reasonable recourse. St. Louis families are essentially held hostage by the district—but if parental choice was the standard in Missouri they would not be faced with this conundrum and could seek out an appropriate education.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
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