Why Public Schools Should Want School Choice
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One of the few public policies that unites people from across the political spectrum is school choice—the ability of parents to choose the school that best fits their children’s needs. So, why isn’t it the norm? Mandy Drogin of the Texas Public Policy Foundation explains what the obstacles are and how we might overcome them.
Script:
According to a 2022 Real Clear Politics Poll, 72% of Americans support school choice—the ability of parents to choose the school that best fits their children’s needs.
82% of Republicans…
68% of Democrats…
And 67% of Independents.
Given how divided Americans are over almost everything, that’s about as bipartisan as it gets. And given that politicians read polls, school choice should be a slam dunk, right?
Well, let’s take a look at Texas.
You can’t get much more conservative than the Lone Star state. So, you’d think it would have a very robust school choice program.
But you’d be wrong.
In Texas, public education doesn’t look all that different from progressive California or New York.
And it shares equally embarrassing educational test results.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 75% of Texas eighth graders are not proficient in reading and math. The state’s own assessments are just as grim; 60% of students cannot do math at grade level, and nearly 50% cannot read at grade level.
This is a Texas-sized problem.
And it needs a Texas-sized solution.
That solution is school choice.
So, what’s the problem? Why isn’t it a slam dunk? Why is a state that has led on such cutting-edge initiatives as medical liability and tort reform fallen behind on a critical issue like education?
Here’s what those who oppose school choice will tell you: if you offer parents choice, the public schools will lose funding; money needed for public schools which must accept all students will be siphoned off to competing charter schools or private schools or someplace else.
But this concern is misplaced.
In states where school choice already has a long history, most parents do not leave their local school for another school.
Why aren’t they heading for exits?
Here’s where it gets interesting and instructive. In states where parents have choice, public schools improve.
When Florida first implemented their school choice program in 2002, they were ranked #33 in the nation for educating low-income students. By 2019 they had risen to #1 in the nation.
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Texas is actually changing a lot and is not as conservative as it used to be
We have had some sort of tuition, scholarships, or student choice available in Arizona for years and have rigorously used it for the good of our students through the choice of our parents. I hope the whole nation embraces it.
Since Indiana is used as example, I have a few questions
Can a private school turn my child away do they feel my child is not a good fit/can’t support my child?
What is a nonpublic itinerant teacher?
What type of student does a nonpublic itinerant teacher support?
Who employs nonpublic itinerants teachers?
If I chose a private school, why is a public school teacher providing additional reading support to my child?
What is an individualized service plan(ISP)?
How is an ISP different from an IEP?
Wait, why aren’t nonpublic schools required to follow my child’s IEP?
What if the school of my choice costs more than 10k and I don’t qualify for tuition? Do I still get to choose this school?
Problem is, assuming all schools are more or less of similar capacity, every one will of course want to go to the best school, but the best school isn't big enough to hold everyone. Some are going to have to go to lesser schools. This means some selection criteria, which negates school choice.
So let's talk rural communities. Suppose it's 8 to 15 miles to the next school. How do people get a choice there?? Parents have to work, and therefore cannot be driving between towns during their work day to get their kids to/from the school of their choice. So I'd propose to privatize the public school system. Let the school board treat the school district as a business. The successful schools will obviously do well. And the less successful schools will work to do better. When the state has taken its hands off education, perhaps more schools will pop up in these small communities, which could reduce the number of students per teacher?? Socialism doesn't work–especially with education. Let's try something different. Parents will have to practice something they should already be teaching: fiscal responsibility.
2:26 Hooray for Florida for Educating Low-Income Students! 2:34 And Hip Hip Hooray for Indiana!! #SchoolChoiceRules #SchoolChoice #MASA #MakeAmericaSmartAgain Take that from a person from the smartest state in America, Massachusetts. #Massachusetts2023 #SmartNewDeal
Come on Texas pick up your game zzz
US needs to model its education system after Finland. Not for profit educational systems toted by Prager U.


Finland abolished its fee-paying schools and instituted a nationwide comprehensive system from the early 1970s onwards. Not only did such reforms lead to the closing of the attainment gap between the richest and poorest students, it also turned Finland into one of the global educational success stories of the modern era.

The influential Pisa rankings, run by the OECD, are based on tests taken by 15-year-olds in more than 70 countries.

Finland, Estonia, Canada and Ireland are the only non-Asian nations to get into any of the top five rankings across all three subjects.
Finland is the top non-asian country in the rankings. US needs to model its education system after Finland.
This is NOT the biggest reason School Choice hasn’t passed in Texas. Texas has NO homeschool regulations. Adding Government money to a very homeschool free state then you allow the Government to regulate homeschooling. That’s why it hasn’t passed. That’s why people don’t want it. Because it messes up the freedom of a very pro-homeschooling state. Government money has government strings. Just take to time to ask Texans for Homeschooling Freedom. That’s why it’s divided. It’s a great movement for states that already have regulations in that area, but homeschooling exists differently here. It’s not a money issue, it’s a freedom and regulation issue.
I love how we get to apply the market to public education to our public schools with school choice.
Problem is the school employees, don't care about better. It about a sure income with bennies. Being able to be incompetent , lazy, reckless, spending more time pursuing personal vendettas than all other tasks. Educating, being better, not a thing in public schools. That's for speeches or repeating in public, but not for doing.
It boils down to money. Education, from pre-school to University, is all about revenue. They gave up caring about educating a long time ago, it's money. The least democratic place, is your local public school. It's a feudal system. District management are the high level aristocracy, the superintendent, King, those directly under him, the barons, dukes, etc. Then their are the lords and ladies, the certified teachers. Then the peasants, the classified workers, cooks, custodians, etc. It isn't about succeeding at your job, say educating children, it's about pleasing the super, the king. Displease him and all the royals will take a stab at your like senators after Caesar. What is the foremost role of the Super? Keeping the budget under control, which means bringing in as much money as possible and spending as little as possible. If he does that, he gets a new contract for however many years.
In Alaska we have mandatory homeschool programs run by the districts. Which creates a conflict of interest. Despite the homeschool kids proficiency being 60% and the regular school kids 12%, the super and his gang do everything legal and illegal to force the homeschool kids into regular school. It a difference of around 31,000 dollars revenue for the district, per child. While the districts are forced to have a homeschool program, they are the ones sabotaging them to the utmost.
The state turns it's head away instead of checking on compliance of things like state laws, because school districts are state entities. So not only school districts but the state sabotages homeschool programs, because more students in public school means more federal dollars brought in by grants.
It's all about the money, The Money!
Word.
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0:10 that 72% agree number came from this question:
“Do you (ROTATE) agree or disagree (END ROTATE) that parents should be able to request the curriculum being taught to their children?”
I agree as well. Parents should be able to REQUEST the curriculum. It is just a request after all.
It has nothing to do with the parents choosing schools.
We also need to remove tenure! There's to many crappy teachers that need replaced, and not with blue haired psycho's either.
"Everybody wins" except teachers unions. The threat of bad public schools being closed because they are unable or unwilling to improve resulting in unionized teachers losing their jobs is biggest reason teachers unions staunchly oppose school choice. Under such a system public teachers would have to actually compete with private and charter school teachers to keep their jobs–something that terrifies them.
What you didn't cover is why politicians don't go for school choice when the public does. It's because the public doesn't donate as much money to their campaigns as special interests like teacher's unions. Teacher's unions don't like school choice because private and charter schools are rarely unionized. If a school the union is tied to sucks it will lose money which means teachers will be laid off which means the union makes less dues. Unions have proven they would rather keep terrible teachers employed by force of the union than risk losing a single paying member to help students.
"Have the money follow the student" — does the per-student allowance actually cover full tuition at a private school? Often it doesn't. That leaves parents no choice or to search their pockets for the difference. Private schools also are not obligated to accept your child OR keep them on the rolls. Private schools do not have a local school board you can petition or that would have the community's interest at heart — they tend to have boards of directors and are a business with a business' interests at heart, not a child's. We need higher standards for public education, not more capitalism introduced to the process.
Honestly, schools should be fully privatized. That way, people have full control on the money that goes to schools.
the child should also have a say in what school they want to attend, parents may help inform and guide them but choosing a school for your child without the input of your child is sheltering and can deprive your child of feeling included in decisions made about them and stunts independence
I'm an American, and these are not the values of America. Quit with your homophobia. It's pathetic.
Wait a sec. You never had this???? In whole world everyone can choose school and you don't???WTF