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Unintended Consequences of True School Choice

I always try to make it a point to see bothschools where it has never been sent before.
sides of an education issue, and as ProjectThe private and parochial institutions would
Runway host Tim Gunn always tells his fashionhave to be help accountable for that money,
designer  cast,  try  to  make  it  work.as would those who home school. At the very
least, state governments would be likely to
The concept of true school choice fits thatset standards for teacher-student contact
challenge.hours or days as well as the submission of
attendance records. They could also, and
The thought behind true school choice is thatrightly, impose standardized testing by grade
"dollars follow the child." Parents receive alevel across the board. If public money is
government-estimated amount of money whichdistilled down to more schools, those schools
represents the cost of educating each ofmust prove to state government that students
their children, with adjustments for specialare ready to advance to the next grade level.
needs such as special education, EnglishParents might also need to provide proof of
language skills and physical disabilities.proficiency and attendance, especially if
Parents may apply those monies it towards anythey  home  school  children.
school they choose: public, private,
parochial or even home schooling. The stateAnother concern is preference-based
takes charge of informing parents of theiradmissions in public schools; this is already
options; public school superintendents andbusiness practice in the private and
local school boards would have littleparochial schools. While in theory there
incentive  to  do  it.would be public school options, public school
systems are likely to discriminate in favor
True-choice advocates say this puts theof their residents. Out-of-towners would
decisions on quality schools in the hands ofreceive consideration if there is still room,
the parents, in effect creating a marketplacebut taxpayers are likely to be extremely
for education. It also, in theory, wouldconcerned about assuming the costs of
provide "seed capital" for parents who couldeducating children who live someplace else.
home-school their children or join with otherThere are other municipal services that
parents to form a school of their own. Itsupport the public schools such as police,
could also help parents create a morefire, water and sewer; so in effect, one town
personalized educational experience for theirwill be subsidizing the costs of students
child; for instance, they could elect to sendfrom other towns. Is it possible that public
him or her to college a year early. Trueschools might charge a premium to
choice assumes all parents also have equalnon-residents?
access to perfect information to make an
informed  decision.On the other hand, there are superintendents
who might become public entrepreneurs who
I understand why school boards and publicwill find out-of-towners to be their economic
school teacher's unions would be opposed tosalvation. They can do identify the
true choice; average and poor-performingeducational specialties underserved by
schools could be the losers in the marketneighboring municipalities and target
place, as their students would be likely tostudents  accordingly.
seek alternatives. I do, however, agree with
true choice advocates that competition wouldPublic schools are also regulated by health
make these schools adjust and perform to newand safety standards, including building
circumstances or deservedly close theircodes. I don't believe true-choice advocates
doors.mean for private, parochial and home schools
to become similarly regulated. The same would
True choice empowers parents, and thereforebe true for teaching practices; they would
takes power away from local school boards.want government out of the classroom. But
School boards are thrust into the role ofthere will always be extremes: schools based
marketers to try to identify and fill localon controversial political or religious
needs, as well as teach the state's standardphilosophies or corporal punishment being two
curriculum. That's good and bad; they could,examples from the past. I don't know how
for example, offer high school coursesthese issues would be resolved in a
directed at post-graduation jobs with localtrue-choice  environment.
employers, or college-prep SAT tutoring, but
be forced to send their constituentsAdvocates of true choice have usually been
elsewhere for needs that can't be filled.considered conservatives, because true choice
Elsewhere can mean a school further fromoffers a market-based alternative to the
home, where parents must providetraditional public school bureaucracy.
transportation. Three words to those schoolHowever, in the 1960's there were liberal
boards:  disgruntled  parents  remember.activists who felt the same way; they
developed their own alternative educational
But proponents of true choice also ask foroptions as a challenge to authority. That's
less government intervention in the schools;one reason communes started; they were living
they prefer that parents and teachers chooseand  learning  communities.
the academic program with little to no
involvement from state government. I don'tThere would be plenty of challenges to making
believe that's possible; in fact, governmenta true-choice concept succeed. I'd be curious
may need to be involved where it has not beento see if parents, educators and politicians
involved  before.of all persuasions could actually make it
work.
For one thing, public money would be sent to



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