The Dichotomy of ‘School Choice’. . .

There’s nothing like a lightning-fast cross-country move to take you out of the blogging habit for weeks at a time! We’re beginning to settle in here in sunny Florida and I’m ready once again to tackle issues affecting our family and thousands of others as we live with autism.

A good education is one of the most important factors in helping kids lead healthy, balanced and productive lives. As our family has relocated from one of the most responsive school districts I’ve ever experienced (a few issues notwithstanding) to a state notorious for its educational woes, I’ve had to force myself to give this system time and a chance to work. It’s not easy.

I’m going out on a limb here, but I think the concept of ’school choice’ is one of the most destructive ideas I’ve ever encountered. Here’s why.

On its face, the idea of allowing parents to choose the school they want their child to attend is appealing, especially for families with special needs. Some may prefer specific resources available at one school versus another for their kids. Or they may want to move their kids out of an “under-performing school” or a school with social problems (gangs, bullying) or a school with poor leadership . . . the list goes on. I prefer not to think in terms of race and/or socio-economic factors but I know that’s a big pull for some families.

I believe the concept of ’school choice’ allows governments and districts to escape accountability for the difficult problems that they simply don’t have the resources, knowledge or political will to fix. Allowing families to leave ‘under-performing schools’ (usually those in rural, inner-city or poor areas) straps schools and systems that are already struggling. I find it unbelievable that in 2008 in America, school funding is based in large part on property tax revenues, thus ensuring a continuing cycle of poverty and poor educational options for generations. In Florida, schools receive “grades” and funding based on standardized testing results, providing a powerful “disincentive” for schools to take on kids with learning, behavioral or developmental disabilities. The result is an educational culture that ‘teaches to the test’ (the FCAT is Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test), eschewing creativity and cultural instruction for rote memorization.

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, December 7, 2008:

Officials with the Florida Department of Education say these are examples of rote memorization trying to masquerade as creativity. And they are signs that some teachers are having students memorize a collection of phrases and sentences to use on the FCAT, rather than teaching them how to write their own original essays.
 

They’ve spotted the nervous marshmallow, the flowery descriptions of swirling colors, the wings, the blinking eye and the “poof” transporting kids into distant lands numerous times on fourth-grade exams, for example.
 

The practice is creating “Stepford Writers,” who view writing as a “fill-in-the-blank exercise” rather than a way to showcase their own ideas and skills, department officials fear.”
 

FCAT scores are the holy grail of education in Florida. Schools tout their “A” grades and “5-Star Status” on their websites and billboards. But these rankings are pretty useless for the parent of a kid with autism. Because of their near-singular focus on test scores, many of the ‘high-quality’ schools reject any type of inclusive education, choosing instead to segregate kids who are ‘different’ or ‘disruptive’ from the student population. Not only does this deny the student with special needs an equal education, it also denies the general population the opportunity to learn, understand and ultimately accept those who are different from them.

One of the ways Florida has tried to address the complex and systemic problems in the public education system here is to encourage charter schools, a topic I will be re-visiting a lot in the future. Another concession, specifically for families with special needs is the McKay Scholarship. The scholarship allows any family of a student with special needs to apply that student’s state funding to a school the family deems is more appropriate for the needs of that child. It’s theoretically awesome, but what if there aren’t any great alternatives? What if you have to go 30 miles out to find a school that can actually teach your autistic kid? What if you have other children whose needs are different but must also be considered?

These are all things that we’ve had to consider as we debate placement for our three sons. It is MUCH more complicated and frustrating than even a generation ago and it’s wrong and inefficient on many levels. We’ve heard there is a local public middle school with an “autism program”, one of six such schools in our county. Fortunately, it is very close to us. We will be investigating the program in the coming weeks and I will share more about the alternatives I’ve found. I believe all public schools should be “good schools” and it’s a crime against current and future generations of American kids that they aren’t.

Merry Christmas.

Peace.