Whose side is the government on?
Debates over school choice aren’t just taking place here in the US, but countries all around the world are looking at reforming education by injecting school choice into the equation.
An interesting read about some of the debate in the UK appeared in today’s Spectator blog, Responding to the opponents of “Swedish schools.”
While the whole piece is worth a read, I particularly liked this line:
Existing schools have a tough enough job as it is without losing pupils to new entrants. Yes, and we have to ask whose side the government should be on: that of the parents, or the local authorities who fear competition?
It raises a really good question. Indeed, whose side should government be on? The side of parents (and taxpayers), or the side of entrenched bureaucracies? Politicians love to talk about being “for kids” or “for families,” but are they really?
Whose side is government on, really?
“Just because government provides a service doesn’t mean government has to produce all of it.”
Great Letter to the Editor in yesterday’s Enid News and Eagle (Oklahoma).
Brandon Dutcher, Vice President for Policy of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs writes in a letter, titled “It’s time for a comeback of educational freedom:”
Just because government provides a service doesn’t mean government has to produce all of it. We see this with Medicaid dollars flowing to private hospitals, with B-52 bombers being built by private contractors, and with Pell Grants being used at private Oklahoma colleges. And since we already have school choice for these 18-year-olds, there’s no reason we shouldn’t have it for 17-year-olds.
“Education, Uniqueness And Innovation”
Very interesting speech from The Honorable Heather Roy, Associate Minister Of Education for New Zealand.
Speaking at the Westmount School Auckland Campus, she makes the case for school choice.
I’m enjoying visiting independent schools around the country – you all represent choice for students and parents, and are part of a strong and dynamic sector that plays an important role in lifting the overall performance of the education sector as a whole.
And she continues:
Parents in your community want the best for their children and choice is key to achieving this. You provide them with that choice…
And as we have argued many times here in Virginia:
National and ACT in Government are well aware that there is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ education model to suit all children, and we are committed to providing parents with more freedom make the decisions around what schooling is best for their children.
It is encouraging to hear a government representative acknowledge that government doesn’t hold all the answers for a change. And have you ever heard this from a government official in the United States?
As well as this boost in funding, the Government is also helping to ease the burden on independent schools by freeing you up from government regulation. Independent schools already enjoy some freedom from this, and I’d like to see that freedom extended. It is important that schools focus on the needs of their students and parents, rather than the demands of central government.
We would definitely encourage everyone to take a look at her full remarks. It is encouraging to hear a government representative promoting and encouraging choice in education- and recognizing that it adds value and benefits students. We hope more US politicians will take note.
