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Debate #5: Is family choice of schools in the public interest?

Destiny R. Schwartz
EDU:200 Foundations of Education, Loras College
Dr. Scott Scheuerell
March 25, 2021
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Is family choice of schools in the public interest?

There are many pros and cons to weigh regarding family choice in the public interest of

schools. The book, Critical Issues in Education Dialogues and Dialectics, considers two sides of

this debate. In position one, the book discusses how parents should have a say in what school

their child should attend. However, position two, states that “Choice limits public schools’ ability

to achieve social goals.” In this essay I will be stating what I believe and my rationale for that

decision.

In the statements from position one, different types of schooling are described, including

charter schools, magnet schools, home, and virtual schooling. They compare one to another in

terms of taxpayer dollars. Many of the schools are funded by vouchers or by tax dollars because

families in the area can’t afford schooling for their own children. Families want to have a say in

where their child goes to school, whether it has to do with the price, is based on religious, or any

other purposes. Many families don’t have the option to choose based on their child’s needs.

(Nelson et al., 2021)

Position two describes how choice limits public schools’ ability to achieve social goals.

Desegregation was one of the main points in position two where it talked about the importance of

this in public schools. With private schools there is private funding, which usually means that

they have far greater of a budget. Also, private schools have more students that are white

compared to many other races. Additionally, they speak about choice, academic achievement,

and public accountability.

I can find things to agree with on both sides of the argument. As in position one, I believe

that parents should have a choice in picking where the student goes to school. Parents know their

children best and should be able to make their education choice based on their knowledge of the
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child’s needs, abilities, and interests. A lot of families use vouchers in order to have a say in their

child’s education. “Support for vouchers is growing in part because of an advantage they have

over other choice programs. (Henderson et al., 2020) They allow parents to select schools that

not only match their children’s academic interests but also conform to the family’s values.”

(p.55, Nelson et al., 2021)

Also stated in position one, is that “in times of economic stress, tuition may become too

much of a burden for the family budget to bear.” (p.52, Nelson et al., 2021) I believe this is a

huge factor for students and one that impacts them going beyond their education with high

school. For many people college isn’t an option because their families can’t afford the education.

This goes hand-in-hand with parents choosing where their child can go to school. If parents try to

select a school and they must live nearby, they might not be able to afford living in the area and

get forced to move. We have read in previous chapters that it is hard on a child if they constantly

switch schools due to the family’s income status.

I also agree with position two because choice limits public schools’ ability to achieve

social goals. People with money will want the best education that they can afford, which means

they are more likely to pay for their child to go to a private school. Many people who go to

public schools tend to be from low-income families. They can’t afford to put their child in

private schools. Personally, I believe public schools are beneficial for students, they better teach

students about diversity and do not as badly segregate students by socioeconomic factors. Public

schools often have students from much broader demographics, including race, religion,

socioeconomic status, etc. “In desegregated schools, the racial achievement gap is lessened and

dropout rates are reduced.” (p.61, Nelson et al., 2021) This betters society and enables students

to graduate and earn better jobs.

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I also agree with position two, in that schools need to continue to desegregate. It betters

society as a whole and it allows people to speak up without hesitation if we are all respectful of

one another. Being inclusive about race, income, and religion will better students’ outcome in the

long run. “Americans were willing to hand over hard-earned money to the government in the

form of school taxes because they believed that public education would return “profits” to every

member of society, not just school children and their families.” (p.60, Nelson et al., 2021) Well I

believe public education is for the better, I don’t know that I believe that all Americans were or

are willing to give their hard-earned money to the government. I believe some people might want

to give their money to the purpose of public education, but many wouldn’t for this purpose,

especially people without children.

Is family choice of schools in the public interest? Not everybody has the benefits of

choice in going to schools. Students tend to go to schools that their parents can afford, which

usually means that students in low-income families are forced to attend low-income schools.

Voucher programs would be a positive for low-income families, but eventually they wouldn’t be

able to afford the service of education at the school they used the voucher for, or possibly even

be able to afford living nearby. Additionally, “Voucher programs allow parents to remove their

children from schools that violate their religious beliefs and place them in schools that allow

them to exercise the constitutionally guaranteed freedom to practice their religion. (p.55,56,

Nelson et al., 2021) To me this is a huge positive because people should have religious rights and

be able to express themselves freely. In conclusion, while I believe that parents should be able to

choose where the child gets to go to school, there should be more equalizing factors in place to

enable individuals to go to any school of their choice.

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Works Cited:

Nelson, J. L., Palonsky, S. B., & McCarthy, M. R. (2021). Critical issues in education:
Dialogues and dialectics. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.