Sent to ECC Jan 31, 2020
America’s National School Choice Week (Jan26-Feb1) is enjoying its 9th year. I have tried to follow as much news as I could and today this astonishing item came in: Ninety-Three Vermont Towns Have No Public Schools, But Great Education. How Do They Do It?
Why, they have “tuition towns”! I found many choice “choice” examples, but not this one!
“Too small and sparsely populated to support a traditional public school, these towns distribute government education funds to parents, who choose the educational experience that is best suited to their family’s needs. If the school doesn’t perform up to parents’ expectations, they can take their children, and the tuition dollars they control, elsewhere.”
https://fee.org/articles/93-vermont-towns-have-no-public-schools-but-great-education-how-do-they-do-it/
As part of the week’s announcements, we have the Manhattan Institute publish an excellent policy paper on charters. Issues 2020: Charter Schools Boost Results for Disadvantaged Students and Everyone Else. Who is “everyone else” besides the students? Why, the families, the taxpayer (return on investment is remarkable), the public schools (improve due to competition). Mention was made that even less jail time was a result when there were less juvenile arrests. https://www.manhattan-institute.org/issues-2020-charter-schools-boost-results
I, from Canada, am really excited about these developments and piped in with these observations published on Joanne Jacobs blog, Why parents need choices:
America’s National School Choice Week (Jan26-Feb1) is enjoying its 9th year. I have tried to follow as much news as I could and today this astonishing item came in: Ninety-Three Vermont Towns Have No Public Schools, But Great Education. How Do They Do It?
Why, they have “tuition towns”! I found many choice “choice” examples, but not this one!
“Too small and sparsely populated to support a traditional public school, these towns distribute government education funds to parents, who choose the educational experience that is best suited to their family’s needs. If the school doesn’t perform up to parents’ expectations, they can take their children, and the tuition dollars they control, elsewhere.”
https://fee.org/articles/93-vermont-towns-have-no-public-schools-but-great-education-how-do-they-do-it/
As part of the week’s announcements, we have the Manhattan Institute publish an excellent policy paper on charters. Issues 2020: Charter Schools Boost Results for Disadvantaged Students and Everyone Else. Who is “everyone else” besides the students? Why, the families, the taxpayer (return on investment is remarkable), the public schools (improve due to competition). Mention was made that even less jail time was a result when there were less juvenile arrests. https://www.manhattan-institute.org/issues-2020-charter-schools-boost-results
I, from Canada, am really excited about these developments and piped in with these observations published on Joanne Jacobs blog, Why parents need choices:
The Greatest Consumer Fraud of All by Nat Hentoff , 1977, laid out the case for parents and politicians to mobilize consumer consciousness “to deal with the massive fraud that is public education.” That was 4 decades ago and I have been involved in small ways with parent advocacy in education in this half century. We tried the consumer movement approach. Many struggles were organized to try to reform the public school system, but the struggles were regularly thwarted by the self serving nature of the megastructures involved in this industry — the teacher unions, the education publishers, the teacher preparation colleges, the administrator organizations, the school board organizations, etc. That was the “reform” impulse.
Eventually, it became evident that “the system”, as a near monopoly, was impervious to systemic change or reform.
That is why the “choice” movement is so heartwarming. Current generations of students and parents may see — in their lifetimes — choices that provide opportunities that fit their particular needs and preferences. It’s unbearable to even begin to think of the harm and deprivation education casualties experienced in the past.
Furthermore, “consumer literature” confirms that meaningful choices considerably spur innovation, improvements and adoption of research-backed practices. Discipline and accountability is not something that applies in a monopoly system with captive audiences.
I have really enjoyed reading the reports, audios and coverage of the passion behind this School Choice Week! I can’t believe that so many choices are being talked about and highlighted — charter schools, vouchers, magnet schools, home education, education savings accounts (ESAs), tuition tax credits, private scholarships, private and faith-based schools, online learning, etc.