Monday, May 21, 2007

Parents Love School Choice...Of Course!

Parents in Washington D.C. have had what most American parents want for their children: the right to attend the school of their choice. But now, it's uncertain whether Democrats will reauthorize the voucher program that makes school choice possible.

As the article points out, wealthier families already have school choice. They move to a district with the best schools they can afford and, if they don't like the local schools, they pay for private schools.

Personally, I was a little skeptical about the difference in schools before we moved from a poorer district to a richer one. The difference in a word: amazing. It wasn't simply that the schools were so much nicer and newer. It was that the schools were much more demanding and helpful.

Better schools demand more from both students and parents. In the old school district, we might have occasional family projects or recommendations. Since moving to the school district, we are pretty much required to help with homework and projects on a daily or weekly basis, plus we are asked to be involved in a variety of ways at the school itself. It's also easier to get feedback from teachers when there is a problem because all the teachers are on the internet.

The D.C. experiment has shown that parents become more involved when they feel they have a voice in the school.

Strikingly, the report's authors found that the parents aren't just happy; they're involved in their children's education, and increasingly so the longer they are in the program, despite challenges related to time and transportation.

They also are demanding consumers. Parents visited an average of three schools before selecting one; the small minority who were disappointed with their first choice visited even more as they weighed the possibility of moving their children. They were primarily looking, the report found, for "smaller class size, a more rigorous curriculum and school safety."

The authorization for this school vouchers program will come up this year or next. Now that Democrats run things in Congress, D.C. parents are worried that the stranglehold of teacher's unions will prevent Democrats from reauthorizing the funding.

All parents want the best schools for their children. Let's hope the Democrats want the best school for students, too.