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Monday, August 15, 2016

What Real School Choice Would Look Like – And Why What They’re Selling Isn’t It | gadflyonthewallblog

What Real School Choice Would Look Like – And Why What They’re Selling Isn’t It | gadflyonthewallblog:

What Real School Choice Would Look Like – And Why What They’re Selling Isn’t It

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I can’t hear the words “School Choice” without thinking of Inigo Montoya from the classic film “The Princess Bride.”
I hear Mandy Patinkin’s voice saying, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Because just like the constant cries of “Inconceivable!” from Sicilian boss Vizzini (portrayed by the inimitable Wallace Shawn), policymakers seem a bit confused.
You would expect School Choice to mean that parents would get to choose the school their children attend. However, the policy being pushed by corporate education reformers has nothing to do with that.
It’s about allowing schools to choose students, not the other way around.
Want your child to attend a charter school? Great! In many cases he needs to meet the requirements of admission – good grades, well behaved, no learning disabilities – otherwise they boot him back to the traditional public school he came from.