School Choice (NeW NC Pt III)

Let us dive into a subject on which I have very little experience (unless you count, of course, my now 13-16 years in a public school system) or what would appear to be worthwhile commentary.

Our first solo speaker of the NeW National Conference was a woman by the name of Leslie Hiner, who is the Vice President of an organization called EdChoice, which is "devoted to advancing educational freedom and choice for all as a pathway to successful lives and a stronger society." She made several points that I made note of.

The first is that school choice is an old formula. It was implemented first in Vermont in 1869 and shortly after in Maine in 1873. Although a somewhat convincing tactic, there are certainly several things that are that old and quite dysfunctional.

The second is that school choice is a funding formula: it's an economic principle that's supported by economic theory, especially by the writings of Milton Freedman, a well-known and acclaimed American economist.

Ms. Hiner also spoke about how defunding the federal Department of Education would mean more funds released to the states' educational systems, which is something I had never considered before. Granted, there are many more nuances to be considered here, in how funds for education may or may not be used better at a national level than the state level, but it is also a point that is never considered when the "threat" of dismantling the DoE is mentioned.

Lastly, Ms. Hiner told a heart-warming story about a child in a particular school-choice system who had been deemed "incapable of learning" in a traditional public school because of autism, but met incredible success and even lifestyle change when allowed an education that addressed the student's particular needs. This was great and all - but I hesitate to allow anecdote to be an end-all for educational policy discussion, as I know that there are likely many similar stories in the public education system, where there are also educators dedicated to helping the so-called "incapables" realize their full potential to be not only learners but full and capable members of society.

However, that doesn't negate the first two points on the positivity of school choice: I just hope that school choice is promoted in good logic. Speaking of good logic: today I discovered the incredibly interesting dialogue that is the show Firing Line, with William Buckley, Jr. In the episode I listened to today, from 1981,  Buckley discusses several things, including school choice, with the economist Thomas Sowell. I had previously read Sowell's book, Basic Economics, but had never before heard or seen him speak, and was thoroughly delighted in what I found. If you'd like to hear some of that, try this video at time 38:45 - although the whole thing is enlightening.

What do you think? Should we accept anecdote? Is it wise to use economic policy to decide how our school system works? Let me know in the comments, and be looking out for the next post, which will discuss a talk by Kristen Soltis-Anderson and a visit by Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway.