Daniel Guiller

Professor Woo

Going Public: History of American Public Education 

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

School choice is a very controversial topic, particularly for its relevance. There are various reasons why this is so but a lot of it has to do with children and how we’re affecting their ability to succeed. This would draw out some of the most vocal supporters and detractors of any given political issue. For many, this issue is the reason they go to the polls. Anything that involves politicians, private corporate interests, and kids will always garner attention, and when all those topics are involved together even more so. School choice presents itself on top of an American ideal that we know to be true. School choice is marketed as an alternative to the traditional forms of school that most people are aware of and accustomed to. It’s founded on the previously mentioned ideals as another option for parents who may be frustrated with the lack of options they have in providing an education to their children. In simpler terms, it’s the ability to choose beyond what’s being offered. School choice and the ability to deprive people of it is an important issue today. On one hand, it’s what a lot of people depend on for their education. It’s what provides education for lower-income families, it’s what they’ve been accustomed to for generations and it’s what they hope to continue to rely on. This is because people will pool their money collectively and pay for the services they need through this pool. Through this, the kids living in a community can be centralized, unified, and most importantly served equally. That is the idea of running against school choice. School choice itself presents itself as its antithesis. This is through the narrative that we’re able to circumvent the problems and shortcomings that come with being a system like the one that people are used to. School choice seeks to avoid the problems that come with the conventional by being the alternative for a lot of students fed up with their school system. Before school choice, many students were not able to escape their system. They were made to grow accustomed to a system that they were ultimately not satisfied with. With school choice, this is reversed. The student and the parent are empowered to be the ones in charge of their future, even with the consequences that come with this newfound power. School choice is made to promote the same level of choice that you find when deciding on what to eat, where to work, and what to support. The parent and student pick what school they prefer, they’re not entitled to this treatment however and have to pay out of pocket for it. This promotes a system of inequality but one that is arguably the “freest” in the most literal sense of the word. I think that in order for us to make any meaningful change we have to be willing to experiment with different systems in order to improve our circumstances and that of our future, most important successors.