Choice does work for schools

This opinion piece in The Register Guard caught my attention. The author does a great job of saying what I think. Here is a bit of it...

Why choice? No particular school can possibly meet the diverse needs of all children. To force a child to attend a school that is a poor fit is bad public policy. Having schools that fit children’s needs is important, as is balancing this with diversity and equity.

When a school district introduces magnet schools, parents’ satisfaction increases because they can find a program that better suits their educational preferences. Neighborhood schools likely will need program modifications to remain attractive to parents, and the quality of schools in the entire system improves as a result.

The author goes over the choice program in Oregon. I encourage all readers to read the rest of the article here. The public school system needs help. People need to be open to the idea of change; the schools are not doing well and something needs to happen. For some reason, various unions and school boards like to claim choice is a horrible idea. Their accusations are misleading and could be devastating of all people believe them.

It truly is bad policy to make children attend schools that do not work for them. Shouldn't every child get access to schooling that is actually effective? Bottom line is that something needs to change, for the sake of all the children.