04/20/00

Getting Schooled

When it comes to school choice, some people seem to spend a lot of time addressing a plan I've never mentioned - Governor Bush's. Now, I won't pretend to be familiar with the details of his plan, but I wasn't talking about it anyway. So let's dispose of the strawmen and talk about my ideas. (Since it is, anyway, all about me.)

1. It's a simple idea and it works, which is why its opponents find it so dangerous: allow every child to choose their school by making their education funding portable to any school, public or private, which would satisfy current minimum standards for education. Parent choice and demand for quality takes over from there, rewarding schools which provide what parents want - namely, that schools equip their children to succeed in life. Because the resources move with the child, every child will be able to get an education, rather than just a babysitter. This comment about private schools filling up betrays a lack of faith in the ability of public schools to compete. I think public schools can provide excellent education, and many do. Portable education funding simply gives them a stronger incentive to do so.

2. At the same time as parents get the freedom to choose their children's schools, so too should schools (public and private) be given the freedom to adopt methods and curricula which serve their students' needs. Instead of bureaucrats in Washington setting one-size-fits all standards to measure every school's success, the students and their parents should set custom standards to meet their own needs. In this way, the schools themselves become diverse and can more ably meet a broad range of needs across communities and across the nation. It's obvious that the educational needs of a newly-arrived Mexican child are different from those of a seventeenth-generation New Englander. Why, then, should their schools be judged by the a uniform standard?

3. Private and religious institutions have been receiving public funds for a long time - Notre Dame being the most flagrant example. The republic has not fallen because of it. To the contrary, enabling a parent to choose a religiously affiliated school enhances freedom. Since the parents choose the flavor of the school, there is no state-sponsored compulsion. However, by limiting religious-based education only to the wealthy, the government actually works to restrain the free exercise of religion. By allowing individual freedom of worship and reducing the government's role in suppressing religious instruction, this plan actually strengthens the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Finally, leave it to a liberal to worry about the ability of the state to issue mandates. As discussed above, the less state interference, the better for the student.

4. Since school choice plans often represent the only opportunity for disadvantaged and minority students to escape failing schools, their parents are some of the most vocal supporters of school choice plans. Without vouchers and the like, these children would have NO chance at a decent education. Portable funding puts education within reach. How is this possible? Contrary to the arguments of school choice, the average private school provides a better education for half the per-pupil cost than the average public school. Private school tuitions, in turn, are much less than the average per-pupil expenditure in the public school system. This means that portable education funds are a boon for public and private schools alike, because it makes it possible to pay for private education of many students still have ample resources left over for those who choose to stay in public schools.

Some people think that giving parents choices for their kids is a bad idea, and maybe it is if you're employed by a candidate who is beholden to the teachers' unions. But if you're a parent with a child in a failing school, it might just be salvation. Remember - it's not about the schools - it's about the children.

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