Public school monopoly harms children?

Public schools were formed why? To improve the education of children? To improve society? To create better workers? 

We came across an interesting article at The Heritage Foundation titled “Universal School Choice Is Needed—Your Address Shouldn’t Limit Your Child’s Future“. The author is Lindsey M. Burke, Ph.D.@lindseymburke

The article supports our contention that school choice is important to improving the quality of education. Parental choice needs to be part of the equation. Competition is good. Currently, in Washington State, schools consume an estimated 53% of the entire state budget and rising. In 2020 many tax payers are seeing significant increases of which 75% or more is going to schools. There are bills in the legislature that would lead to new health clinics at schools, mandatory “comprehensive sex education” (whatever that means), class size reduction, addition of more mental health support staff…the list goes on and on.

Here are some quotes from the article (please read it by clicking the link above):

• “Many of the country’s largest school districts give families no alternative to the nearest public school. They offer no charter schools, no school vouchers—no school choice programs of any kind. Instead, kids are consigned to a dysfunctional school.”
• Civil literacy is poor and failing: “Here, too, many public schools are failing. Today, one-third of Americans—the vast majority products of our public schools—cannot name a single branch of government.”
• “Nor is an uptick in civic literacy visible anywhere on the horizon. Instead, public schools seem more interested in introducing their pupils to leftist ideology than in teaching basic civics.”
• Washington State (OSPI) appears to be mimicking California’s approach” Unsurprisingly, California is leading the way in this endeavor. After introducing a much-derided sex education framework earlier this year (with no opt-out for families), the Golden State has now introduced an ethnic studies curriculum that brings the social justice warrior mentality of grad schools to grade schools.Unsurprisingly, California is leading the way in this endeavor. After introducing a much-derided sex education framework earlier this year (with no opt-out for families), the Golden State has now introduced an ethnic studies curriculum that brings the social justice warrior mentality of grad schools to grade schools.”
• “57 percent of California’s black fourth-graders cannot read at even a basic level.” [Note: If you look at the State of Washington’s reading scores you see the same trend: https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/103300   What will you see when you click the link? Across the State, all grades and all districts, 51.1% are failing Math; 40.4% are failing English Language Arts; 53.3% are failing science and the graduation rate from high school is only 80.9%.

The summation from the article:

School choice programs allow students to attend schools that meet their learning needs. And studies show that when students avail themselves of these options, they develop better both academically and as citizens (as measured by things like political tolerance and civic engagement). Their parents are more satisfied as well.

A near-monopoly education system that denies students access to schools that would better serve them impedes upward mobility in America. It will not get better until we separate housing from schooling, through universal education choice.

Here are some of the articles we’ve shared on this topic if you want to read more:

https://swweducation.org?p=6246   Re-imagining K-12 education

https://swweducation.org?p=6218     History of Education in America

https://swweducation.org?p=6201     The demise of public education – Is it a form of child abuse?

https://swweducation.org?p=6183     Charter schools – Good or Bad? 

https://swweducation.org?p=6125    Does more $$$ = better education?

We could list more but that’s a good start.

Question: Will you do anything about choice or just accept the way things are?