Tag Archives: school choice

Concerns of Public Education: Z = Zoning

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I have enjoyed addressing the various concerns of public education. However, I am also excited to move on to more issues and topics. This will be my last article on the A to Z concerns of public education. Today, I am ready to address the letter Z. In this blog, I will discuss the letter Z for zoning. Zoning is the assignment of students to specific schools based on location. In some areas students have no option but to attend the school that they are zoned for attending. In other locations students have the freedom to attend other schools but … Continue reading →

5 Advantages to a Christian School

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The decision of how to school your child is a very personal one. Many parents feel that the public schools in their area are excellent and gladly send their children there. Other parents feel that homeschooling is the best option for their family. Whether they object to the material being taught in the public school, feel the quality of the school is inferior, or simply want to be with their children, home schooling is a wonderful blessing for many parents. If a parent is uncomfortable with the public school, but also lacks the time or the desire to homeschool, Christian … Continue reading →

What Should You Look For In a Magnet School?

As I attended the magnet fair recently put on by my school district I was surprised by the difference in the quality of education that each of the schools seemed to offer. Some of the programs seemed put together just so that the school could say that it was a magnet school, and attract unwitting parents to the school. The school district I am in uses magnet schools to attract students to inner city schools to help boost test scores and parental involvement. I taught school for a short time, and so I was surprised when one school’s main attraction … Continue reading →

Magnet Schools: Pros and Cons

My daughter will begin kindergarten next year. In my school district I have the option of enrolling her in a magnet program. The magnet schools in this area are designed to attract students to lower income areas, a way of natural desegregation. In order for this to be successful, the magnet schools have additional programs and resources available to them. It has worked well for my school district. One of the positive aspects of the magnet schools is that they offer specific programs that are tailored towards the arts or the sciences. They offer programs specifically for gifted students or … Continue reading →

Why I Support School Choice Part 3

If you haven’t been following the series, you can check out the links below. This is the final installment in which I answer critics’ concerns over tax funded school choice proposals. School choice options include options like vouchers and charter schools. If you’re just joining us, my position in a nutshell is that I am not anti-public education, but I feel that school choice options would improve the over all educational system. Let’s take a look at a few more issues regarding school choice. Public schools have a minimal standard of accountability while private schools are without regulation. Sending tax … Continue reading →

Why I Support School Choice Part 2

Yesterday I began to talk about school choice and various arguments for and against it. To quickly recap–I am in favor of school choice because I think it helps improve schools over all. Let’s keep looking at some more arguments. Tax funded vouchers would increase divisions between rich and poor, between different religions, and between different ethnic groups. I’m not sure how vouchers would increase division beyond what is already there. Furthermore, as I’ve previously pointed out, public school funding is not the issue when it comes to a good education. It should also be noted that school choice allows … Continue reading →

Why I Support School Choice Part 1

If you are at all familiar with educational issues you know that this is a hot button. School choice is the idea that a parent has the right to choose their child’s school. Okay. . .no big deal. Until you start to take available resources and spread them around, theoretically diverting them from public schools. School choice does not just translate into a parent’s right to homeschool, or opt into a private school, but also includes charter schools, magnet schools, as well as school vouchers. After all, why should school choice be limited to those who can afford to pay … Continue reading →

School Choice and the New Mayor of Newark New Jersey

Recently the city of Newark New Jersey elected a new mayor for the first time in 20 years. Cory Booker is young, a Stanford educated Rhodes scholar, and a democrat who wants to reform the city’s schools. Mr Booker has crossed party lines with some of his ideas, most notably with his position on vouchers. Booker has said that he favors “any kid of choice programs that are targeted toward poor children who are trapped in failing schools”. He views vouchers as one tool that can be used to solve some serious problems. Vouchers are just one tool to be … Continue reading →