Your Child; Your Choice.

The following piece appears on the Lincoln Report.com click on the link to view the associated video and to learn more.

May 25, 2015 12:08 pm

Education is one of the most important aspect of a child’s life. Parents spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a house in what is classified as a great school district. Others spend thousands of dollars for private school, private tutors and other avenues to try and give their child the best educational footing possible.

• As children starting growing, they further develop their interests.
• If your child like football, you find a football program and sign them up.
• If your child like baseball, you find a baseball program and sign them up.
• If your child like swimming, you find a swimming program and sign them up.
• If your child like music, you find a music program and sign them up.
• If your child like theater, you find a theater program and sign them up.
• If your child like chess, you find a chess program and sign them up.
• If your child like robotics, you find a robotics program and sign them up.
• And the list goes on.

As we know all schools do not have every program you child may be interested in so many of these choices are found with private organizations, park districts and other venues. This raises the question of what happens if the education programs available in your local public school does not meet your child’s interest of learning needs.

• What are your choices for school if you student learns by reading?
  • By being hands on?
  • By seeing?
  • By memorizing?
  • Etc?
• What happens if your child has a learning disability that is aided by external stimulation like an equine program?
• What happens if you have multiple children each with a different learning style?
• Choices for many of these issues may be somewhat of very limited depending on your local public school. What are your options currently?

For most parents’ choices are limited to the following:

1. Move to a different school district
2. Spend thousands of dollars to put your child into a private school
3. Homeschool
4. Hiring tutors

Each of these above options have their own advantages and disadvantages but for the most part these are not even an option for many parents and probably most parents. This lack of real options leaves their children trapped in a public school that may not meet the needs of their child.
What are some of the remedies you hear repeatedly?

• Give more money to public schools
• Change the curriculum
• Make new standards schools must meet
• Increase testing
• Change grading systems
• Year round school
• Longer school days
• Better Teacher evaluations
• Vouchers/Tax Credits/Education Savings Accounts/etc
• Charter Schools
• Increase mandated attendance
• Smaller class size

While many agree with some of the above remedies for improving educational outcomes, there is a fundamental question that needs to be asked that makes the improvement strategies secondary. Only one of the potential remedies even approaches the overarching question that should be addressed. That question is:

Do you, as a parent, have the right to direct the education of your child?

The answer to this question should be a resounding yes. Unfortunately this is not the case. Many legislators, education professionals and teacher union leaders don’t want parents to have that right. They want to be able to tell you how your child should be educated. They do this for several reasons:

• Parents cannot possibly know as much as the educators
• Reduces their power and influence
• Cut into their gravy train

Those in the education bureaucracy and its legislative supporters talk continuously cite statistic after statistic that claims their curriculum works; statistics showing smaller classes works; statistics showing charter schools don’t excel. They spin the results to their advantage. Those opposing find their own studies to prove just the opposite or prove the study from the other side was false or misleading. It goes on and on. These tactics of the education bureaucracy are utilized for them to maintain their control over the system and thus the money. Discussing the minutia a distraction from the real discussion of parental rights that should be taking place.
Do we need to point out statistics at times in these debates? Absolutely we do to combat misinformation, spin and hyperbole. It is needed to convince others to think about the bigger picture and the compassion needed to also help those that are in the most need.
Parents discussing their rights over the education of their own children is still the most important and vital part of any discussion. Watch this short video from Give Me Choice IL