School_Choice

The push for more school choice has been accelerating. The concept of school choice is a public school program that allows students to choose to attend any of a selection of participating private and public schools, usually based on a system of vouchers or scholarships. The most common options offered by school choice programs are open enrollment laws that allow students to attend other public schools, private schools, charter schools, information on vouchers, and homeschooling. Open enrollment laws allow residents of state to enroll their children in any public school. School choice is about giving all parents the chance to be essential participants in their children's education but students in schools of choice have fewer opportunities to learn from students of different backgrounds. School vouchers programs are designed to provide students with a permanent dollar amount per year to attend the school of their choice. It has been said that the logic behind this principle is that competition between schools for a student's dollars would improve the level of education being provided. Although many people may find it as an advantage, the rest find it as a disadvantage and not worth pursuing. First, it is an advantage because parents should have the right to send their child to any school of their choice. On the other hand, the National Education Association (NEA) opposes school vouchers because of economical issues, societal issues, and constitutional issues. Also, Teachers Unions say school vouchers take public schools' money away. Charter schools are independent public schools that allow freedom to be more modern, while being held responsible for improved student achievement. Charter schools encourage a partnership between parents, teachers and students to create an environment in which parents can be more involved. Teachers are given the freedom to innovate and students are provided the structure they need to learn, with all three held liable for improved student achievement.  Charter schools, unlike traditional public schools are held accountable. If the school strives to boost student achievement by giving students more time in the classroom, the school can offer classes into the evening, on weekends and into the summer months. If Charter schools do not perform, they are not changed. Some disadvantages about these schools is that Charter schools, due to their small size and limited numbers, will provide only some families with public school choice options, by this means it raises issues of fairness and equality. Also, Charter schools have access to federal funds and other revenue sources. In Homeschooling children may be taught by one or both parents, by tutors who come into the home, or through virtual school programs conducted over the Internet. Some parents even prepare their own materials and design their own programs of study, while others use materials produced by companies specializing in home school resources. Some advantages may be that parents must purchase own materials and still pay public school taxes and Parents must help children improve upon their weaknesses and not just cater to their strengths. Compared to public schools, homeschooling tailors to student learning style and public schools caters to visual and auditory learners. Most private or nonpublic schools in the U.S. are religious, and many are associated with a religious faith, value, or local church. They are not obligated to accept every child, so getting admitted may involve applications with multiple interviews, essays, and testing. Private schools define the identity of their communities, they often choose between candidates based not only on their academic achievement but also their ethnicity and religious background. Unlike public schools private schools, on the other hand, can choose whatever curriculum and assessment model they wish. This freedom to design their own curriculum or avoid standardized tests can result in higher standards for students or lower. Boys and girls learn in different ways, therefore coeducation probably will not work suitably for every child. That’s why many parents prefer single sex education. Some children flourish in a single sex school. Why' Well for one thing, the social pressures can be gentler and children can grow at their own pace. The teachers that work with the students adapt their learning styles to their specific needs. Single sex schools gives students freedom be themselves and encourages children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic. A disadvantage would be that the students do not interact with the opposite sex and do not cooperate. In conclusion, in my opinion I’m eagerly in favor of school choice for two main reasons. First, no child should be locked into attending a poor school, lacking quality and diversity, which under the current system is rewarded for its failure. Secondly, children and parents who hold strong convictions concerning their academic and social objectives need an opportunity in order to place themselves in an environment which will maximize their learning success. Education is everything, so we need to not just educate the students, we need to educate the community as to why school choice is the way to go, and that school choice will better the lives of their children, and in return better the life of the community. I think that school choice can create success for children from the low SES family. In other words, if we can help those children succeed in the school and society, they will produce fewer problems to the society, and we can build up a better environment for everyone.