Primer: Should the US invest more in school choice programs?
This week, the NU Political Union will shift our focus to the American education system as we debate the following resolution: The US should invest more in school choice programs. School choice, as a term, essentially refers to any educational pathway that assists students and families in choosing alternatives to traditional public schools. While charter schools, which obtain government funding but function separately from the state school system, are perhaps the most well-known example of school choice, the term applies much more broadly. It also encompasses open enrollment laws, magnet schools, virtual schools, homeschooling, education savings accounts (ESAs), scholarship tax credits, and school voucher programs, among other alternatives. These programs are controversial, to varying degrees, and have attracted firm support and fierce opposition. Backers of school choice emphasize that, among other things, school choice allows for increased parental involvement and may be more cost-effective and lead to higher student achievement than traditional public schools by producing competition among schools. Opponents, however, tend to decry school choice as dismantling the public school choice system, often replacing it with profit-minded, not student-first policies. Join the NU Political Union on Monday, October 10, to discuss whether school choice programs are the right move for the US education system and should receive more investment. In this primer, as always, we have compiled a short list of materials you may find helpful in advance of the debate.
First is a brief article from CNN that provides a concise overview of the school choice debate. If you are only going to read one thing in the primer, I suggest this piece. (5 minutes)
Next is a story in NPR detailing a landmark June 2022 Supreme Court case, Carson v. Makin, which ruled that Maine’s tuition assistance program must also encompass religious schools. (6 minutes)
Also, a piece from Pew about how the Covid-19 pandemic has invigorated the school choice movement. (5 minutes)
For a terrific explanation of charter schools, check out this article published by Vox in 2014. (12 minutes)
Lastly, while this Texas Tribune story is far more specific in its focus than the other pieces I have recommended, I think it provides excellent insight into how real people experience this issue on the ground in their lives. (7 minutes)
Now, for some takes.
A (really) quick summary from the ACLU of their cases against school choice programs. (3 minutes)
On the opposite side of the spectrum is a list of reasons for school choice programs from The Heritage Foundation. (7 minutes)
An intriguing opinion piece in Education Week contends that, in a way, both sides of the school choice debate have it right. (9 minutes)
One more opinion article, this one in Deseret News, argues that school choice, in actuality, improves the quality of public schools. (5 minutes)
Capping things off, a piece in The Washington Post makes a broad case against school vouchers as harmful to American civic life in general. (9 minutes)
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