In an opinion piece that was published in The Community Press yesterday, Jeff Eiser, who is the principal at St. Clement School in St. Bernard, discussed the importance of school choice. He noted that school choice is about fairness for every student, regardless of their zip code or their family’s income. Read Principal Eiser’s column below.

Schooling choices are beneficial

By: Jeff Eiser

Jeff Eiser is principal of St. Clement School in St. Bernard.

Freedom of choice is a fundamental and vital part of our democracy.

As Americans we are free to make choices ranging from our political leaders to what doctor best meets our individual and family needs. Parents are free to make choices for their children until they are old enough to make their own. Parents choose what their children eat, the clothes they wear, the church in which they worship, the books they read and their style of parenting.

But until recently, parents in our area didn’t have much of a choice in which school their kids attended. The learning options available were largely dictated by the family’s zip code. People with money certainly had options, but low-income families were basically trapped if their public school didn’t meet the needs of their child.

In Ohio, school choice programs give families of all economic levels the opportunity to choose the best school for their children. It helps to “level the playing field” for a lot of ethnic minorities so that they can choose a school based on merit rather than economic reasons.

Public education should not be merely what goes on within the walls of a publicly governed building. Public education is really the public’s responsibility to educate all children wherever their needs are best met. I have always viewed school choice as a fairness issue in which parents can choose the best educational setting for their student(s) regardless of their wealth status.

It’s important to recognize that public schools work well for the vast majority of families. School choice isn’t about private schools competing with public schools; the idea is to give students more options to succeed. The fact that private schools can deliver an outstanding education at a much lower cost to taxpayers should be applauded, not attacked by the powerful public school teacher unions and lobbyists.

The fact that school choice programs benefit public schools – not just students who switch to private schools – is a key aspect of school choice. Because public schools improve due to competition, school choice benefits reach beyond those students who take advantage of the opportunity to attend a private school. Competition forces both public and private schools to improve. Choice is like “a rising tide that lifts all boats.”

Even students whose parents don’t shop around for a private school will benefit because their existing public schools (i.e. Cincinnati Public Schools) get better. School choice energizes parents and students to investigate the array of new options. Families enter into the process by defining what they want from a school, researching the choices and applying to schools that offer what they seek. Choosing a school kindles commitment and re-involves parents with the school and their student’s educational process.

Educational research clearly shows that greater parent involvement often leads to higher student achievement.

School choice recognizes that schools are not all the same any more than students are. Certain students get more from the particular strengths of certain schools. Public education should focus on our society’s basic responsibility to educate each child wherever their individual needs are best met be it at a private, public, charter or community school. School choice is really about fairness for all students regardless of where they live and the wealth status of their parents.

Do you agree with Principal Eiser? Leave a comment, and tell us why.