Mailand hotelsImagine that your local, governmentally-managed school is dangerous, or educationallydysfunctional. Would you want to be able to enroll your child elsewhere, or do you think thatyou should be forced to send your child to that dysfunctional school?
Most parents believe that they should be free to enroll their child in a privately-managed school ifthe governmentally-managed school in their local neighborhood is dangerous or educationallydysfunctional. Note, for instance, that President Clinton enrolled Chelsea in a privately-managedschool.
Should the right to exercise school choice be limited to those of financial means, or should poorparents also be empowered to search out the best school available for each of theirchildren?
There are some people (usually people with the financial means to be able to make a choice for theirown children), who believe that only those who can pay themselves for privately-managed schoolsshould be able to exercise school choice. President Clinton is one such person. He thought it wasproper that he was able to make a choice to send Chelsea to a private school, but he has neverbelieved that poor people should be empowered to make that same choice. Yet it should come asno surprise that poor people disagree with the President. All national polls show that a significantmajority of low-income Americans support governmentally-funded school vouchers.
What should be the goal of governmental education policy, ensuring that every child receivesa great education, or maximizing the market share of governmentally-managed schools?
If what we care about is the education of children, not the market share of government monopolies,then we should tear down the wall that keeps community, business, and religious groups from beingable to compete to create better schools.
Is what is best for one child always what is best for another child?
Some people oppose school vouchers because they believe that enrolling all children in a "CommonSchool" will guarantee that all children have the same educational opportunity. But putting allchildren into a "Common School" does not guarantee equal educational opportunity, because not allchildren thrive in the same educational environment, or in response to the same pedagogicalapproach. The goal of equal opportunity would best be served by allowing an array of educationalproviders to create an array of different schools, and then allowing parents to review the availableoptions and enroll their child in the program that is best tailored to their child's particular needs.
Why are the most racially, economically, and ethnically integrated urban schools those whichmaintain rigorous educational and behavioral standards?
Some people say that school vouchers would exacerbate racial, economic, and ethnic segregation. But the truth is that the most popularly chosen schools in our cities (as evidenced by having thelongest waiting lists) are those most racially, economically, and ethnically integrated. This is truein our cities for both governmentally-managed schools and privately-managed schools. What makesthese schools popular -- and results in people of all races, classes, and ethnicities running to them --is the fact that they also typically have the most rigorous educational and behavioral standards.
Madrid accommodationShould religious groups be permitted to force your children to learn their values? Should non-religious groups be permitted to force your children to learn their values?
The answer to both of these questions should be "no." But currently, religious parents who cannotafford either to home school their children, or to pay for private school tuition, are mandated by lawto send their children to schools which teach many non-religious values with which these parentsdisagree.
What percentage of residents in your community attend school board budget hearings? Whatpercentage of residents in your community inspect a car before purchasing it?
Some opponents of school choice say it will never work because parents do not care about theirchildren. As evidence, they point to the fact that very few parents attend School Board meetings. But when you ask parents why they don't attend School Board meetings, they do not believe theywill be listened to, yet these same parents, almost universally, do visit the car lot before they buya new car. They don't just send money and take whatever the dealer has available. The reasonthey go to the lot is because they know they have a choice, and that their inspecting the availablevehicles will ensure they get a good car. It is the same way with education. Districts which haveinstituted different varieties of school choice have experienced a significant increase in parentalinvolvement in education.