If there ever was a case to be made for family choice in education it is now. In this second decade of the 21st Century — in a prosperous country such as Canada — we still see the hand wringing and agonizing about the blatant unfairness of education quality by postal code! Shameful, isn’t it?
Of course, the ed honchos are right up front there with their turnaround formulas. The achievement gaps persist and the question is asked: “So, what can be done to break the cycle?” Can the life chances of currently underserved students be improved?
How about flipping the whole mess over and let the self-interest of the consumer be the guide, not the self-serving producers? Bring in a GI Bill type of program where the family chooses which school or programs would best fit their child, without bureaucratic strings attached?
Yes, the voucher idea has been around a long time but there is now a more appealing plan — Education Savings Accounts. Families vote with their feet to find the education programs or schools that fit the unique needs of their children. ESAs are now of growing interest in the United States and we should get to know more about this concept.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.” Poor parents are as capable of making choices for their children as their higher income neighbors — if they had some control over “their” education dollars!
[to Educhatter]