Blog Assignment Part 4

 

Does school choice improve public education? Why or why not?

It’s difficult to dictate whether school choice helps or

hurts public education. People who agree with school choice find it to offer a

more competitive alternative for parents to support their children. It should

not only be a parent’s right to decide what they want their kids to learn but

being involved in the decision-making process about their children’s life would

greatly benefit them. Some also believe that it is good because it forces

schools to compete over students, in doing so they argue that schools must work

harder to improve or risk losing students to another school. They contend that

this competitive environment also requires that schools provide more to

families by introducing innovation and a greater emphasis on student

performance. School choice provides parents with the power and autonomy to

select the best school for their child: this could be a regular public school,

a charter school, or even a private school. In some cases, parents would like

to school their children at home. School choice helps parents feel involved

with their child's education. Parents can closely track progress when choosing

schools and demand improvements. This will build connections between families

and schools that benefit students. School choice also encourages innovation. Charter

schools can test new teaching approaches or specialized programs leading to

better methods. It also provides options tailored to student interests and

needs.

However, some view school choice in a different way. They

are more concerned about equality and fairness. If school choice is improved

more students may go to well-resourced private schools which could make public

schools more segregated and take funds out of the public school system. Some

people also have complaints about school choice programs. They think these

programs might not give equal opportunities to all students. For instance,

voucher programs could use public money for private schools not following the

same regulations as public ones. As a result, certain students might get a better

education simply due to affording certain schools. Additionally, some people express

concerns about potential damage to public schools and communities. They fear

increasing school options could disrupt school systems.