The New Jersey Courier‐Post has come out in favor of parental choice in education, and was criticized for doing so on its own op‐ed page today. The critic, one John R. Flynn, argues that the Courier‐Post failed to provide enough support for its position. Ironically, he provides no support for his own opposition to school choice. Naturally, I felt it my civic duty to point that out in a letter to the editor:
School Choice Critic Uninformed
In his August 21st commentary, John Flynn criticized the Courier‐Post for providing, in his view, insufficient evidence for its support of school vouchers. How ironic.
Mr. Flynn voices “serious questions” about the feasibility of public and private school choice programs, but seems not to have seriously looked for the answers. He is apparently unaware that such programs are well established and successfully operating in a host of countries. The Netherlands has had school choice since 1917. Nearly three quarters of its students are now enrolled in private schools and the Dutch outperform American children in every subject at every grade. School choice programs also exist, in various forms, in Chile, Australia, Sweden, and Denmark, among other nations.
If critics spent less time wringing their hands and more time informing themselves about the international success of school choice, they would do a great service to American families.