Parents, Education Choices & Information
1 Right now, Nevada is the dynamic to watch. How the promise of universal choice via their yet-to-be-implemented ESA (Education Savings Plan) plays out is gripping. Can we get some behind the scenes reports?
2 Yes, with the spread of actual models of choice plus the buzz around the idea, it is great that people are looking for ways to assist the process and inform parents of the opportunities.
3 What is key to understand is that, in full gear as NV projects, we won’t be looking at “good schools” and “good choices” as such but “preferences” and good fit and unbundling of school services. Example: Specialized private tutoring for a dyslexic boy who is enrolled half day in a public hockey academy (my grandson).
4 It is parents themselves who start helplines re how-to negotiate and customize, alternative choices available, positive/negative reviews of products and services.
5 Education entrepreneurs see opportunities and behave accordingly. When we in BC (Canada) had an extended teacher strike and the government provided $40 day to parents of primary-aged students it didn’t take long for new tutoring services, parent-organized co-ops and posters on telephone poles to suddenly appear.
6 This has all been foretold by Ivan Illich (Deschooling, 1971) with his skill exchanges, peer-matching, learning webs and directories of educators-at-large. To some extent this is already in place in some areas in the home education communities.
7 The hype and buzz is already out for Nikhil Goyal’s forthcoming (Feb 2016) book — Schools on Trial: How Freedom and Creativity Can Fix Our Educational Malpractice. “He prescribes an inspiring educational future that is thoroughly democratic and experiential, and one that utilizes the entire community as a classroom.”
8 YES, I think parents will be eager for good information once public funding truly follows the student; and parents are able to choose and mix and match as they see fit. NO, the community organizing style as proposed by Greg Foster is not encouraging — too expensive, too long, too typically bureaucratic and not loose, flexible and freedom-oriented. BUT, there would be a need, I think, for standards assessments especially concerning proof of proper methodologies and skills acquisition (e.g., reading, mathematics, science).
[ published in JayPGreene's blog on topic — The School Choice Information Problem — http://jaypgreene.com/2015/12/08/the-school-choice-information-problem/ ]