Persuasive Essay On School Choice

School funding is a mix of different funding sources like federal, state, and local. About ninety percent of funding for education comes from state and local community. K-12 education has failed to keep up with high enrollment. Schools must spend to counter effects of poverty while many European countries alleviate these conditions through government spending. Currently more than forty percent of low income school get an extremely unfair share of state and local funds. Low income school are receiving inadequate funds for their school, whereas other schools in the United States are unfairly distributing their state and local funds. That is unfair to the low income schools because those schools really need the money for school books, field trips, etc. Funding for public schools has been quite unequal for years, but even though Americans are fully aware of this issue no one does anything to solve it. Researchers are trying to show them both sides of this unequal funding issue in public schools in order to help balance the distribution of educational funding.

Smith, Morgan. “School Choice and Vouchers.” The Texas Tribune. N.p. 1 June 2015. Web. 8

And why should concerned parents support public schools over vouchers? The answer, according to Chase, is simple, as public schools over the past thirty years have halved the performance imbalance between white and African American students and, within the last five years, have raised the achievement level of the nation’s poorest children by an entire grade (Chase 1). Chase maintains that, instead of “throwing money” at poorly managed schools, a “genuine commitment be made to giving all children, regardless of zip code, adequate educational resources,” as is the desire of taxpayers and the tradition of education in America (Chase 2).

In the 1950’s the school choice debate came to view education as a service that could be produced in a variety of ways and that parents could be consumers of (Musset, 2012). Musset’s research explored the idea that schools would be judged based on performance, being rewarded with expansion as families choose them over those schools who do not, while those underperforming schools would lose funding as families vote with their feet as they withdraw their children from those schools (2012). Over the last half-century the research, including that of Duncan(2007), has come to include the performance of private schools as they collectively outperformed public schools amongst the lower-socioeconomic and minority populations of the United

Some arguments on the advantages of school choice were found on the website schoolchoiceinfo.org, which includes many stories about individual families who have benefited from school choice. The website also explains how in Cleveland, Florida and Milwaukee over 14,500 families have benefited from school choice programs. Making the parents more involved in the students’ education as well as feeling a higher level of satisfaction from the children’s education, the programs also provides less discrimination based on economic status, or racial background, as well as many other things.

As an American taxpayer I personally agree with school choice as I studied at a public school and understand the differences between public and private education. Parents should be able to use these state-issued debit cards to decide which type of educational institution they want to send their child to. The counterargument to this is that taxpayers’ money is going back into the private trust rather than into the public school institution. School choice means providing this funding for low income students who live in school zones with lower quality schools. If a family can, with these state-issued cards, send their child to private school, then they should be able to do so as it provides a great opportunity for advancement. In this regard, school choice is a “vehicle to help improve inner cities and to provide options particularly for low-income families trapped in failing schools” (Swaby).

Proposals to use private school vouchers, a marketplace strategy, as a mechanism by which to improve the general quality of public education have produced a lively debate. Frequently, that debate has degenerated into a disagreement about whether public schools are as good as private schools or whether a given private school is better than a certain neighborhood public school. Other issues raised in these discussions include the appropriate use of public funds, the role of competition in improving public education, and the right of parents to choose a school for their children. Although these issues are of interest, they are not the fundamental questions which must be raised about the future of public schools in a democracy.Two Core Issues

In terms of school choice, vouchers allow for lower income students to receive a higher quality of education. The use of vouchers allowed students in inner-city Dayton to show improved math and reading. (“Despite Success, School Choice Runs into New Barriers") The avaiblity of vouchers and consumer choice allow for students to benefit from the increased competition in the public school sector. (Akyol)

It is notable that the school system has major flaws where variation in methods has caused success and failure to come from different students; this is partially due to the way types of schools function. The flaws in the school system are highlighted in the chapter “Better Schools: Investing in our future,” from the book, When Millennials Rule: The Reshaping of America, written by David & Jack Cahn. They are trying to bring the millennials’ future actions and beliefs to the attention of political campaign organizers. David and Jack Cahn are millennial activists and journalists whose book was publicized by Post Hills Press in 2014. Their book covers present day complications like debt, school reform, and the legalization of marijuana. These topics are highly concerning for millennials and some have been a part of the recent election ballot. I will analyze the chapter “Better Schools” focusing on charter schools. In attempt to improve the system, Millennials have shown initiative by proposing ideas of letting people choose the schools they send their children to, creating a more competitive environment within the school system. The millennials do seem like a unified voting bloc for this issue and do have the resources and know how to effect change.

Choosing the right school for a child is the most important decision someone will every have to make. Comparing private and public schools appears hard especially because they seem so different. It is a debate that rages across the playgrounds and living rooms of America. ("GreatSchools") Many parents have trouble deciding between public and private schools for their children, and oftentimes feel as if they have made a wrong decision. Many people even have a bias over public and private schools. "Some

School choice for K-12 students is still a controversial education reform topic. Choice programs for education include school vouchers, tax-credits scholarships, individual tax credit, and Education Savings Accounts (ESA), provide financial support to families who wish to access private schooling for their child (Wolf, 2016). There are now 61 private school choice programs in 30 states and the District of Columbia (Forster, 2016). Texas publicly funded school choices are limited to public schools and some charter schools. This paper explores the empirical evidence on school choice to establish an argument for expanding school choice in Texas, particularly the school voucher program. We will examine the empirical evidence involving all five domains 1. Academic outcomes of choice participants, 2. Academic outcomes of public school, 3. Fiscal impact on taxpayers and public schools, 4. Racial segregation in schools and 5. Civic values and practices. And lastly will look at surveys to find public opinions on K-12 school choice programs, especially millennials who are more than any other generations to have children in K-12 school.

Education is not only important, it is a powerful weapon that we can use to change to change our world. Parents try to provide us with the best education and influences in our lives until they no longer can control it. The environment a child grows up in is critical to a child’s development. There are two different types of schools that parents generally choose from. Public schools are free to attend, funded and controlled by the government and must follow state curriculum and assessment models. Private schools are independently funded, can use any curriculum and assessment models they want and requires a tuition to enroll. The private versus public school debate has been an ongoing debate throughout the nation. Many parents have a difficult time choosing what school to enroll their children in. Religion, the desire for same-sex education, extracurricular activities and special education programs are factors that are considered when choosing schools. An abundance of people have argued for years about their benefits and disadvantages. There are many areas which one can compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of public and private schools: curriculum, athletics, cost, admissions, teachers, etc.

The debate on public versus private schools has attracted numerous arguments on their merits and demerits over the years. Although both have their benefits, none is considered better than the other particularly in the US. The government funds public schools, and thus parents do not have to pay for the tuition. On the other hand, in private schools parents fund their activities through tuition payment. As such, parents who have no income constraint usually prefer private schools. Based on a recent report, approximately 10% of the student populations across the US are enrolled in private schools (Ingersoll, Merrill & Stuckey, 2014). Some of the reasons explaining why some parents prefer to take their children to private school include religion, desire for a more student- focused learning environment characterized by small class size among others. It is within this context that the paper will explore the benefits and drawbacks of both public and private schools in the US. The paper is in support of public education, and thus it will strive to make a case in favor of public schools.

Starting school when you’re four years old changes tremendously to when you’re seventeen or eighteen. There are a few things about school that remain the same, but many more changes are made throughout the years. Gradually homework gets harder and more complex, teachers change, different activities are added, and much more. Elementary is just the base of what your life will be like in the future. High School prepares you more for the rest of your life and is when you individually get to have options and decisions to make.

An individual’s education is the ultimate factor in determining whether or not they will become a productive member of society. The topic of education has increased in value in the world today. Exposure to a good school is an essential part in the development of a child. In today’s society, every parent has the ultimate choice in their child’s education, the decision to evaluate between both private and public schools. Although both public and private schools provide extensive training along with immeasurable opportunities for students, the parents are still faced with the need to evaluate and decide based on what option best suits the student’s needs. Every parent knows that the school chosen for their child holds the ultimate investment in that child’s future, and for most, the decision is not taken lightly. For a parent deciding on which school to send their priceless gift to, four main factors are put into question: education level, graduation rate, test scores, and safety. With the failures of American public schools, most people will quickly assume that private education is the best route to go in terms regarding a better education; however, a student in a public school can receive an education equivalent to one in a private school.