Choice’ Fragments Schools And Undermines Democracy

Edd Doerr (President, Americans for Religious Liberty, posted

this letter  which was was published in the Sept 9 Education Week  

“’Choice’ Fragments Schools And Undermines Democracy”

Doug Tuthill’s Commentary plugging school choice was a deceptive, “fifth column” attack on public schools and the right of citizens not to be forced to support special-interest private schools and undermine democratic public education (“School Choice, an Opportunity for Students, Teachers, and Parents,” Aug 5, 2015).

While some carefully  designed “choice” plans within public school systems might be useful, who in his or her right mind cannot see that diverting public funds to a plethora of  assorted private schools, most of them by far sectarian institutions, cannot help but fragment student (and teacher) populations along religious, ideological, class, ethnic, and other lines – all while sabotaging public schools and breeding social disharmony.

School Choice Letter Omits Research, Distorts Polling

 Edd Doerr suggests that this letter was published in Education Week on June 15 might be of interest

“School Choice Letter Omits Research, Distorts Polling”

Paul DiPerna’s letter touting school vouchers and education savings accounts (“Governor’s School Choice Essay Ignores Research, Critic Says,” May 20, 2015) conveniently did not mention the research and published findings of University of Illinois education professors Christopher and Sarah Lubienski showing that the apparent private school advantage is due to those schools’ selectivity (The Public School Advantage: Why Public Schools Outperform Private Schools, University of Chicago Press, 2013).

Further, the results of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice survey in Delaware that were mentioned in Mr. DiPerna’s letter should be viewed with skepticism as, according to the group Americans for Religious Liberty, they run substantially counter to the results of 40 years of Gallup/Phi Delta Kappa education polls and 28 state referendums over the years, such as those in Hawaii in 2014 and in Florida in 2012.

Dennis Middlebrooks 

Brooklyn, N.Y.