Why do families want school choice?
Dan Lips, senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, writes on “Why D.C. Families Want School Choice,” in the National Review Online.
Parents understandably want to be sure their children are safe in their schools, and the Heritage Foundation along with the Lexington Institute, published a report examining crime and violence at schools in D.C.
In the NRO article, Mr. Lips writes,
The lack of safety in D.C. public schools has been cited by parents as a main reason why they want to be able to choose their children’s schools. Looking at the numbers of violent or criminal incidents reported at some of the District’s public schools help us see why.
It also helps us understand why the Obama administration’s decision to withdraw scholarships from the 216 students who had recently been admitted to the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program was so devastating for their families. According to our analysis, many of these 216 students are now being assigned to attend public schools with high rates of crime and violence. For example, five of these students were assigned to go to Anacostia Senior High, where 60 violent incidents (6.3 per 100 students) were reported, including 47 reports of simple and aggravated assaults. Three students were assigned to go to Ballou Senior High, where 46 violent incidents (2.2 per 100 students) were reported to the police, including 8 robberies (seven involving firearms or knives).
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[...] my child who had to go back to this school- knowing what had happened- knowing what was happening. We have written before about the recent study by the Heritage Foundation and the Lexington Institute showing the lack of safety in the DC public [...]