In a Changing World, Education Should be Centered on the Individual, not the Building

By Ola Lisowski
MacIver Institute Research Associate

As a lifelong public school attendee who began her education in the Chicago Public School system, I'm not the most obvious choice for a defender of, well, educational choice. Even when I crossed the state border to become a badger or international borders to pursue a graduate degree, I have always attended public schools. 

For my family, they worked. When my sister was ahead in her class, her attentive teachers contacted my parents and let them know their options for advanced programs where she could travel to a local high school to take classes in 7th grade. When I entered pre-kindergarten having already learned how to read, my teachers got in touch with my parents right away to discuss options for moving me up a grade, which I did after a few weeks of attending the 1st grade.

Read the rest of Ms. Lisowski's article here.

In a Changing World, Education Should be Centered on the Individual, not the Building

By Ola Lisowski
MacIver Institute Research Associate

As a lifelong public school attendee who began my education in the Chicago Public School system, I'm not the most obvious choice for a defender of, well, educational choice. Even when I crossed the state border to become a badger or international borders to pursue a graduate degree, I have always attended public schools. 

For my family, they worked. When my sister was ahead in her class, her attentive teachers contacted my parents and let them know their options for advanced programs where she could travel to a local high school to take classes in 7th grade. When I entered pre-kindergarten already having learned how to read, my teachers got in touch with my parents right away to discuss options for moving me up a grade, which I did after a few weeks of attending the 1st grade. 

We were, and are, lucky. Lucky to have watchful teachers and involved parents. Lucky to have some flexibility in an otherwise rigid system, to get us to the more advanced level we needed to avoid the falling grades that would occur when we weren't challenged enough. 

Despite my not so coveted status as a millennial, I'm young enough to remember the different stages of my education quite well. I have spent the majority of my life not just inside a classroom, but being required to be there. In his State of Education speech last week, State Superintendent Tony Evers spent time discussing how much education has changed since his day. If education has changed since my youth, it's imploded and exploded and morphed into something entirely different since his. Hyper-customized à la carte education has arrived.

You'll find the rest of this article here.

Here's how homeschooling is changing in America

As children head back to school, an increasing number of their homeschooled peers will be starting their academic year as well. Homeschooling in the United States is growing at a strong pace.

Recent statistics indicate that 1.5 million children were homeschooled in the United States in 2007. This is up significantly from 1.1 million children in 2003 and 850,000 children in 1999.

The homeschooling movement first emerged in earnest during the 1980s. Back then it was largely led by evangelical Christians. But as the movement has grown, it has also changed. Today’s homeschooling families may increasingly welcome cooperation with their local public school districts. In my own research, I have seen how diverse homeschoolers now are. This diversity challenges any simplistic understanding of what homeschooling is and what impact it will have on the public school system.

Check out the rest of this article when you click here.

School Choice is Inevitable

Despite the shortcomings of allowing parents to send their children to schools that they alone believe best meet their needs and interests, the movement will not die. The latest example comes from California ("California bill to extend school choice law faces allegations of inequity," Los Angeles Times, Aug. 30).

The "district of choice" law permits students who live in one school district to cross the boundary to enroll in another school district.  To date, parents of about 10,000 students in California have taken advantage of the law to enroll their children in 47 participating school districts. 

The rest of this article appears in Education Week.

A survey of parental rights and responsibilities in school choice laws

The power of school choice. Our parents live this every day. "Not only can school choice help get a child into a better school, but it can also help empower parents to be thoughtful advocates for their child’s education, rather than passive consumers."  
-Excerpt from May 2016 Survey of Parental Rights and Responsibilities in Choice School Laws

You can find the full survey here.

Commentary: Wisconsin Should Adopt Education Savings Accounts

A Universal ESA Program Would Go a Long Way Toward Remedying Wisconsin’s Lackluster Record of Failing to Adequately Educate its Children.

Read the entire article from the Heartland Institute here.

Editorial: A Schoolchild's Bill of Rights

rapid review in case middle school was a long time ago: The Bill of Rights — the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution — protects every American from unwarranted government intrusions and enshrines citizens’ rights to speak and worship freely. The document, written by James Madison, distilled and displayed principles of a society liberated from tyranny. These rights flowed not vaguely to a society or individually to a monarch’s favorites but to all Americans, regardless of station or circumstance.

The Tribune’s agenda today isn’t an exercise in constitutional history. Rather, it’s a look through a comparable prism of principle at what all of us owe young Americans. As a new academic year launches and uncertainty roils Illinois’ largest school district, we set out to explore the rights of Chicago’s children — of America’s children — to a high-quality education at public expense. And, whether you’re a current student or a former one, we invite your help.

From the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune. Click here to read the rest. 

Professional Development and Virtual Schools: Swapping Ideas and Practices

Michele Eaton, director of virtual and blended learning for the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, explains how teacher professional development has evolved over five years at her virtual school. Read the article here.

Your ZIP Code Should Not Determine Your Success

I used to be the Executive Director at an inner city, non-profit after-school program in Gary, Indiana. We helped students of all ages with homework, mentoring and computer access. Like too many largely black communities in this country, Gary was impoverished, crime-ridden and suffered from very low education rates.

We sometimes lent our space to charter schools to hold their lotteries.

Our first lottery was big. Hundreds showed. There were 200 spots available and about 800 applicants. Not all those people crowded into our small accommodations, but the ones who did come were nervous and excited. Naturally, when all the names had been called many parents and guardians who didn’t hear their student’s name were visibly upset. One elderly lady who knew me from our program touched my arm. She was weeping.

“Is there anything you can do? We need this. My grandson needs this so much! I can’t send him back to that school! Isn’t there anything you can do?”

You'll find the rest of this story here. 

It Was an Eventful Summer for School Choice

From major anniversaries to civil rights groups calling for moratoriums on new charter schools, the summer of 2016 was a busy one for school choice.

And because it's easy for a story or two to slip under the radar while on summer vacation, I've compiled a list of some of the most notable events from the last three months. Consider this a cheat sheet to start the school year informed on all things school choice.

Click here.