The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Make a choice to help Connecticut students
“Your Vote, Your Choice.”
So said slogans, banners and signs last November, as millions of people across our nation participated in the midterm elections. But voting is just one form of choice that can help democratize society and level the playing field in ways that our country needs it most. This National School Choice Week (Jan. 20-26), we should remember the way in which school choice empowers parents, and ultimately students, to pick the best possible learning environment for their family’s needs.
Here in Connecticut, where the divide between rich and poor is larger than anywhere in the country, school choice is often a luxury afforded only to the privileged few. It might seem impolitic to say, but wealthy families are guaranteed school choice; they can write a check to whatever school or private academy they please, or afford a mortgage in a neighborhood with “good” schools.
Meanwhile, in our cities, most parents have their options limited by their income. Too many families have no option but their neighborhood public schools, which don’t always provide children with the support they need to succeed. Connecticut has among the largest achievement gaps in the country for exactly this reason — because while wealthy families are empowered to choose the best schools for their children, low-income families have that choice taken away.
Over the last several years, school choice has increasingly been used as a political litmus test, twisted and misused into an argument against public education. That couldn’t be further from the truth. School choice is a bedrock, foundational value — the belief that every child, and every family, deserves to choose a school that will help them be successful.
I represent an association of public charter schools across the state of Connecticut. As public charters, we receive public dollars for the students we educate. But public charter schools also have the flexibility and autonomy to innovate to meet our students’ needs. In exchange for more autonomy from a school district’s procedural requirements, we must meet explicit performance standards laid out in the charter. In essence, the charter functions as a contract between the school and families; if the school breaks the contract, it could lose its charter and close.
People might find it surprising to hear this from the head of a charter school association, but not every student should attend a charter school. Some students might benefit from a traditional public school environment; others will take advantage of our state’s leading magnet schools. Some students need specialized instruction in one particular topic; still others might benefit from the added discipline that can be found in some private schools. Every child is different — school choice simply means parents should pick the option that works best for their children.
Regardless of what school parents choose, I support school choice because it democratizes education — it gives every parent a choice. I want to make sure that families of more modest means have the same opportunities that these wealthy families do — to make sure that lack of access to a quality education does not hold a single child back from achieving his or her potential.
This National School Choice Week will see parents, teachers and students gather at more than 40,000 events and rallies during the week of Jan. 20-26. The rallies provide a great way to put faces and names to the abstract concept of school choice. When you see the smile on a young child’s face when she tells you how much she loves her new school, you realize the impact that a gift like school choice can have on the next generation of Americans.
As someone who firmly believes in American democracy, I believe that every child — regardless of race, gender or income — deserves access to the best education possible for them. School choice has helped to democratize the education system for millions in this way, and I hope it will do so for millions more.
Anna Hall is the CEO for the Northeast Charter Schools Network, which serves New York and Connecticut. She holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.