Supporting Choice in Public Education

As a dad and a public school educator, December means two things to me. First, it’s a time for our family to celebrate with loved ones. And second, it’s a time when many parents around the country start to think about where their kids will go to school next fall.

For years, the main public school option for parents and students has been neighborhood public district schools. Many of these schools are doing an excellent job of educating the students who live nearby. However, in some communities—particularly low-income ones—the neighborhood schools aren’t serving students’ needs, nor preparing them for college and the life opportunities beyond. Parents in these communities are clamoring for other excellent public school options from which to choose, and when those options are available, they’re increasingly voting with their feet and enrolling their children in schools of choice. As co-founder of KIPP, I’ve seen what having access to school options can mean for families in these communities.

As it turns out, choice in public education is something Americans deeply want. Magnet schools have been around for decades, and public charter schools are a growing presence; parents are choosing these schools in increasing numbers. As of this year, over 5 million students are enrolled in charter and magnet schools across the US—that’s about 10 percent of all the public school students in America. Meanwhile, a recent national poll found that 7 out of 10 Americans support charter schools as an additional public school option for parents.

Since these schools are becoming such a strong presence in the public school system, we need to make sure that they’re being supported and evaluated well. That means helping excellent schools to grow and thrive, while holding schools accountable for their students’ performance. If a school has lines around the block to get in, then we know it’s the kind of school parents want, and we must support it accordingly. If, on the other hand, no one is lining up for a school, then we have to look closer at what’s going on inside.

First, there’s the issue of supporting excellent schools. In broad terms, that means making sure they have equitable resources. Frankly, school choice without adequate resources is a tease; it places a huge burden on schools to start and continue their work. Right now, public charter schools in many states—including my home state of Texas—receive less per-pupil funding than district schools receive. There are also additional costs like transportation, with which both magnet and charter schools have to handle. If we’re serious about expanding excellent school options for students, money should follow the children, and we need to make sure that all public schools, regardless of their affiliation, have equitable funding and access to resources.

Meanwhile, we need to hold schools accountable for the results they produce. That means finding solutions for the issues that prevent schools from excelling, and as a last resort, closing underperforming schools. The central tenet of charter schools is freedom in exchange for accountability. In other words, charter school leaders get additional freedoms to run their schools, as long as they can show they’re delivering results for students. If a school struggles, then the entity that grants the school’s charter—a state, district, university, charter school board, or someone else—must work with the school to shift gears and find new ideas that work. If, after that process, the school is still not performing up to standards, then the people that oversee it can and should close it down.

If we are diligent about supporting excellent schools and closing down bad ones, the overall pool of available public schools of choice will get bigger and better. We know that this is what the American public wants—they’ve shown us, by voting with their feet. As we celebrate the holidays with our children this year, let’s also commit to increasing great public school choices for students and their families in the years to come.