Choice

I think the first sentence of chapter 5 sums of the idea of school choice. The first line in H&S Chapter 5 states that the main goals of all school reform are to improve public schooling - making schools and classrooms more racially integrated, more equitably funded, more academically challenging, and more focused on student learning. The idea of school choice pretty much puts all of those goals into practice.

Counties that use choice and allow students to choose their schools is in fact trying to improve their public school system. They probably believe that parents like the idea of deciding which school is best for their child, based upon different curriculum, academies, and electives offered by each school. It sort of gives the parents a sense of ''freedom.'' They have the right to free public education and now they have the right to choose where they want their child should attend. In an essence, school choice should make schools more integrated and have a wide range of academically skilled students. This will then make equal funding that much more of a necessity.

The problem with choice, as I see it, is that once a school hits the maximum number of students, other students are turned away. They must then choose another school. Well, this could create problems. Many students and parents decide on a school primarily on the curriculum offered. Most of the programs and academies offered at different schools have criteria and students go through a selection process. If a student doesn't get in the program they want, again a problem could occur. Selection processes also diminish the idea of equal funding. If only specific students can enter academies or specific academic programs, then the diversity of academically skilled students is no longer there.

Although school choice seems to have the correct reasons behind it, many families find the process difficult and frustrating. School choice would work great if we didn't have to worry about the size of the entire student body, or classroom sizes, or curriculum program criteria, but as always, everything has it's glitches that need to be worked out.