School Choice and Ownership Society Page: 1, 2, 3

1. Why is school choice part of an ownership society?
2. How does school choice relate to the American tradition of responsibility, liberty, and prosperity?
3. What has the U.S. Supreme Court said about school choice?
4. Isn't school choice a conservative "right-wing" idea?
5. Isn't school choice just a tax break for the rich?
6. Does the public really want school choice?
7. Aren't private schools unaccountable to the public?
8. Don't choice programs "cream" the best students leaving the problem students in public schools?
9. Won't school choice lead to segregated schools?
10. Won't school choice hurt children whose families are unaware and care less about their children's education? Won't school choice be unfair to low-income families?
11. How does school choice relate to No Child Left Behind?

Why is school choice part of an ownership society?

Education is of course vital part of childhood. Parents who lack control over where their children attend school in effect cede to government ownership of the children themselves. Parental control of education, then, is an essential component of an ownership society. When parents are able to choose a school for their child, they're empowered. They've taken personal responsibility for their own child's education.

But when children are assigned to a government school, parents lose this sense of ownership and responsibility. In today's society, public schools tend to be most effective in areas with high property values. Therefore, only parents who can afford to live in desirable neighborhoods or pay tuition to private schools can exert significant control over their children's education. School choice extends this control to lower- and middle-income parents as well.

School choice also empowers teachers, whose methods and practices are currently limited by government school regulations and curriculum. Private schools can accommodate a wide range of teaching styles and interests, and are much more flexible with certification requirements. In an ownership society, teachers could even open their own private schools, and offer their services to the public in a way that competes with the public schools. Teachers who own their schools invest more those schools' success than teachers who work for state-run schools. Private schools can also better reward talented, hard-working teachers with higher pay.

How does school choice relate to the American tradition of responsibility, liberty, and prosperity?

Before the rise of government schools in the mid-19th century, parents were almost entirely responsible for their children's education. The haphazard mix of schools they devised produced a surprisingly well-educated populace. And because attendance wasn't compelled by the state, schools weren't a source of conflict, as they are today. School choice will help us regain the benefits of parental control. Liberty encourages responsibility -- parents who have freely chosen a school tend to be more involved in the surrounding community, which improves the school. At the same time, competition between schools fosters more efficient methods of instruction. School choice has the power to make schooling better and cheaper, resulting in greater prosperity.

What has the U.S. Supreme Court said about school choice?

In June 2002 the Supreme Court ruled in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris that school choice is constitutional. The court set out five elements of "true private choice" a voucher program would need to meet:

1. The program must have a public purpose.
2. Aid must directed to parents, not the schools.
3. There must be a broad class of beneficiaries.
4. The program must be neutral towards religion.
5. Parents must have adequate nonreligious options.

Because parents are the recipients of the money and not the private schools, school choice isn't prohibited by the Constitution. Parents have the freedom to choose between either religious or non-religious schools. Educational tax credits are constitutional as long as the parent determines the choice of school and the credit is used for education, and not for religious purposes.

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