According to whom? The wrong group of people is responsible for making decisions about our children. Of course it’s supposed to happen - that’s what they’ve planned (even if they didn’t realize it).
In grade four, U.S. students out-perform their international peers in 65 percent of participating countries in math and science. In grade eight that figure drops to 46 percent. When U.S. students reach grade 12, they do about as well as students from Lithuania and surpass only students from Cyprus and South Africa. Educrats are fond of blaming low achievement on poor students, but that is not the case.
Not suprisingly, parents have a solution. Families should not be forced into a school just because it’s close, or other nonsensical reasons.
In much of America children are still assigned to one-size-fits-all schools based on where their parents can afford to live. Such rationing results in winners and losers: Schoolchildren whose parents can afford to move in search of good schools, and students whose parents are stuck. Over time, all schools stagnate because they have a captive audience - a lose-lose situation for students of every socio-economic background.
For former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, founder of the independent charter school district St. Hope Public Schools in Sacramento, reform is a moral issue. “Education is supposed to be the great equalizer for us all.” Options such as charter schools and publicly-funded scholarships help ensure students can attend the schools that best meet their needs. Such schools have more freedom to innovate and powerful incentives to spend education dollars wisely. Most important, letting parents pick the schools they believe are best for their children works.
Emphasis mine. This just isn’t hard to figure out. Even without considering market forces on schools where parents can choose, the numbers don’t lie. Who has a vested interest in making sure that parents can’t choose? Answer that and you’ll find the problem.
