Glimmers of choice
It’s true that parents have few educational options for their children in North Carolina. In an ideal world, parents here would have a free hand at choosing the location and model of their children’s education. Although not ideal by any means, there are glimmers of hope for families across the state.
In the Triangle, the Wake County School Board has commenced a voluntary survey to gauge parent feedback and help determine the calendar models of individual schools. The survey is available to all parents of the 140,000 Wake County students.
In Greenville, East Carolina University has introduced a Homeschool Physical Education program, bringing together dozens of home schooling families once a week for health and fitness programs. Many home schooling parents do not have an activity component to their curriculum. ECU’s program gives children access to physical education and gives parents ideas to use at home.
In the Triad, Guilford County Public Schools might take a very explicit step towards public school choice if the school board decides to expand the system’s parental school choice program. There are 46 schools that receive federal funding in Guilford County because they have historically low test scores and high poverty rates. As a caveat to this funding, Guilford County Public Schools must offer other schools for students to attend if their local school fails to meet testing goals. The program would have its limits because funding would not follow the student, but it would provide parents greater freedom.
It will be a great day in our state when it becomes the rule to seek parental input and offer more options as opposed to the exception. In the meantime, it’s good to know that families are not completely locked out of choices, albeit limited ones.
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