“Let Me Rise”
Please take the time to watch this amazingly powerful video prepared by the Heritage Foundation on the fight to save the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program- and in fact the fight to give every child the type of educational opportunities they deserve.
The education monopoly
I think most people do not believe that monopolies are not a good thing for consumers. Think about the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (now AT&T)- I think most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the telephone giant’s former monopoly on phone services. According to Wikipedia, as early as 1907 the president of the company was pursuing a goal of “One Policy, One System, Universal Service.”
Well, long-story short, eventually consumers got sick and tired of the monopoly, anti-trust lawsuits were filed, and the government stepped in to break-up the monopoly. Today, most consumers enjoy far more choices when it comes to phone service options.
Lack of competition creates apathy. Perhaps even laziness. And they usually artificially drive up costs.
So why would a government-run education monopoly be a good thing? How can one be opposed to a business monopoly but support a government-controlled monopoly?
Okay, so I know some critics will immediately say “but this is EDUCATION, not a business!” - emphasizing that education is more important than any business. Well yes, education is more important- so why on earth would we allow it to be controlled by a destructive monopoly?? Then those critics may start on some silly line of non-reasoning saying things about how education is too important to be entrusted to anyone other than the government and how can we trust what is being taught in schools not controlled by government (or some other really incoherent and ridiculous argument- I’m sure you’ve heard them before). Well then one might ask them where President Obama received his education? Just saying…
Anyways, in today’s NY Times, Thomas Friedman has an insightful opinion piece underscoring the importance of high-quality education. In The New Untouchables, he writes:
That is the key to understanding our full education challenge today. Those who are waiting for this recession to end so someone can again hand them work could have a long wait. Those with the imagination to make themselves untouchables — to invent smarter ways to do old jobs, energy-saving ways to provide new services, new ways to attract old customers or new ways to combine existing technologies — will thrive. Therefore, we not only need a higher percentage of our kids graduating from high school and college — more education — but we need more of them with the right education.
We do need to equip our children with the right education. But I’d argue that the right education will not be found in a one-size fits all model. The right education will be different for every child, and our education reforms must start with that in mind.
The other week I mentioned the Kindergarten Fair being held here for families to learn more about local public and private schools. It was a great event- but it truly highlights the difference between the private schools and the public school monopoly. Since approximately 92% of students in Virginia attend the public schools already- they don’t really have to “compete” for students. Plus they know that their funding is guaranteed. And it showed. The representatives from the local public school system appeared apathetic and rather uninterested in even being there, especially when compared to the energy and excitement expressed by the various representatives of the various private schools. The private school reps knew that they had to “sell” their schools and their unique programs- they actually have to compete for students.
So if an AT&T monopoly was bad for consumers- isn’t it time we declare a government-controlled education monopoly to also be bad for consumers? Our children deserve better.
You’re in the purple box
Nothing like a bureaucrat-controlled computer program deciding where your child should go to school, right?
So the other night I was talking to a representative of the local public school district. (And yes, I refrained from my normal debates about school choice and education reforms.) Anyways, so I wanted to confirm to what school my children would be assigned based on my address. Conveniently, she has with her a lovely color-coded map of the city- showing the often-confusing and seemingly-random boundaries drawn up for each school.
My house was located in a nice little purple “box.” (I use “box” loosely as the shape looked more like a rough approximation of a square with a funny shaped diamond attached arbitrarily to the side of it.)
Now I know they have a “reason” for all these crazy shapes they draw up on their maps- they want to create nice diverse student populations so they have to get rather creative with their line drawing.
So, even though you may have not one, but two schools located just blocks away, no, you may be assigned to another school even further away. And even if you wanted your child to attend one of those closer schools (because, well, they are closer and their students perform better), no, because the computer says so, you go to school X.
Make sense to you?
See, in their system, it isn’t about what you, as a parent want. It isn’t about what is best for your child even (though that part still gets me since I really thought education was supposed to be about students). It is about what works for a bunch of adults who have never even met the children they are randomly assigning to schools.
So what’s my point? Well, simply that I don’t think we’ll ever truly improve education in this country until we break out of the box. Until we put educational decisions back in the hands of parents (who, one would assume after knowing their own child for 5 years would know a bit more about them than a computer operated by a central-office bureaucrat). Until we reject a status-quo system that isn’t working for our children.
Boxing our kids in is not the solution.
Who needs school choice anyways?
You know what I don’t get? People who try to make the argument that because generally, Virginia has some good public schools, that we don’t “need” school choice. Okay, well to me that’s like making some silly argument that because Ford makes some generally good vehicles, we don’t “need” to have any other competitors. Everyone should just be happy with their Ford and go about their business.
Really? I’m not buying.
So last night, I was talking to a mother of 2 children in elementary school. Both of her kids attend a local private school-though until about a year ago, both had been enrolled in their local public school. I was asking her about their choice- and she said that they had attended one of the best public schools in Fairfax County- and in fact she and her husband has originally picked their house specifically because of the good school district.
Then, one day in about 3rd grade, her older child came home and asked to be home schooled. As a parent, that sends up a pretty big red-flag that something isn’t working.
This family was lucky- they were able to afford to make the choice to enroll their kids in a different school- and by all accounts, the choice was a good one and the kids are thriving in their new environment. But it makes me wonder what about the countless other children who are stuck- who are suffering in silence because their parents cannot afford another option? That’s not an issue that can simply be fixed with more funding.
We’ve said it before, even a “great” school may not always be right for every child. And when it isn’t, what is a parent to do? Maybe the school isn’t challenging enough. Maybe it is too challenging. Maybe there are problems with classmates. Maybe the student needs more 1-on-1 instruction. Maybe the child just needs a different structure. Whatever the reason, if we want all children to achieve, shouldn’t we be finding more ways to help them do that?
School choice shouldn’t just be about helping change miserably failing school districts (though certainly those are some of the areas that desperately need choice the most). School choice is about recognizing children as individuals, with individual and unique needs. We can’t expect them all to fit into one mold and learn the same way. Let’s create a vibrant system of educational choices that give every child the best chance at recognizing their own potential. Let’s make sure those kids in failing districts AND those kids who are struggling in even the best schools have the choices that will give them a chance to succeed.
Make sure your voice is heard. Get involved! Talk to your lawmakers about educational options and choice. Legislators really do want to hear from their constituents- find their contact information online here. Call them; email them; let them know that you support education reforms that are focused on children first.
Who speaks for our children?
“When the media talk about public schools, we always hear about teachers, salaries, tenure and classroom size- what I want to know is why don’t we hear more about the parents and the students? If policy is focused on students- wouldn’t they see better results?” (Steven Crowder, PJTV)
It seems jaw-droppingly obvious. When we talk about education- we should be focusing on kids, right? After all, the children are the ones attending school (hopefully) and the ones who are supposed to be receiving an education (again, hopefully).
But as Mr. Crowder states- far too often it seems, the real focus of the education debate gets lost in the political turf-war waged aggressively by an entrenched special-interest: the teachers’ unions. While trying to maintain the facade that they are the ones fighting “for” our children, they continue to pursue an agenda that adamantly resists any change that may actually prove beneficial for students- changes like greater parental choice in education.
I know that, perhaps, I am repeating myself here, but when are parents going to stand up and take back control?? We know that overwhelmingly parents support greater choices in education- as Mr. Crowder notes in the video, in DC that number is around 80%- so when are parents going to realize that the unions are not supporting the best interests of their children?
It is fair here, too, to place some of the blame on the politicians - as they continue to place the interests of unions over the interests of children. Not that it is any excuse - but when politicians are hearing from a very vocal group, even if it is, in reality, a very small minority- they can often be mislead into believing that they are are somehow doing the right thing. And so again, it comes back to parents to become advocates for their children and to let lawmakers know they will no longer sit idly by and allow unions to dominate the debate over the future of education.
What parents, and politicians, must remember, is that a union- even when comprised of teachers- is a special interest. Their mission is to protect the interests of their members. Period. The students and parents are NOT a member of the union- and therefore will never be the primary interest of the union.
As a parent, what can you do? Get involved! Call, email, visit your local legislator (or local House of Delegates candidate)- talk to them about education. (Don’t know your local legislators- find them here.) Ask them what they propose to improve education. Are they willing to talk about educational choices- or do they just talk about teacher salaries, tenure, classroom size and funding? Urge them to support school choice and charter school options for families. Remember, many of our own lawmakers are also parents, too- and education issues directly impact them as well. They need to hear from other parents- not just special interests- and they need to hear that parents are supporting education reforms that are focused on children first.
Kindergarten School Fairs
So the other day I picked up a flyer for a Kindergarten Fair - which was great news, as there’s been quite a bit of discussion about school choices in our household of late as we begin thinking about kindergarten options.
Now I am sure most of us are familiar with College Fairs- either from attending them ourselves in high school, or returning after graduation to help market our own alma maters to college-bound students. Dozens of different colleges and universities sending representatives to try and sell their schools to high school students thinking about their higher education. Schools competing for the best students and marketing their own uniqueness to fit the needs of a diverse student population.
And so to me it seems natural to hold a similar program for families looking at the beginning of their children’s education as well (shouldn’t the first 13 years be just as important as the last 4?). Even by age 4 or 5 you can tell that children have different learning styles and are at different educational levels, and thinking that you can fit them all into a one-size-fits-all model just doesn’t make much sense. I think it is a great think to have the opportunity to highlight different educational programs and encourage schools to compete for students- even as early as kindergarten. The thing that saddens me though is that for most students, there are no real options. Sure, the choices are there- if you can afford the sometimes $18,000 and up yearly tuition (yes, even for Kindergarten!).
While some of our local public schools are wonderful- just down the street there are other options that continue to struggle. But it is equally important to remember that even at those “great” schools- some students in those schools may continue to struggle- and simply looking at broad generalizations or overall test scores may not be the best measure of how that school will do for a unique child. And so, sadly, many kids in our area remain stuck in a school that may not be able to best meet their needs and give them the best opportunity for success.
Again, that’s not to say that every private school will be right for every child either- but again, as we’ve said before, choice isn’t about public versus private. It is about being able to make the decisions that give a child the best chances to succeed. It isn’t about any one school - or school model- trying to be everything to everyone, but rather a system where we have the diversity of options and that can better fulfill the needs of a very diverse society of unique individuals.
I am pleased that our local public schools will have representatives at the Kindergarten Fair - in addition to the private schools- and I look forward to hearing what they all have to say. And hopefully in the future all Virginia families will have access to multiple options when it comes to the education of their children- and no child will be stuck in a school that doesn’t meet their needs.
