School choice has always been personal for me. My mother was a teacher for over 30 years. As her three children approached school age, she decided she wanted to home-school us as we started elementary school.
As an elementary school teacher, she was better equipped than most to guide the beginning of our educational journey. One of the things I fondly remember about being home-schooled is that every week my mother took us to the library. I had the freedom to borrow books on almost any topic. I read books about animals, geography, science, foreign countries, history, and yes, Encyclopedia Brown and Harry Potter books, too. And I loved it. I fell in love with reading and, in turn, learning.
My parents knew that learning is not confined to the classroom. Because of that, I developed a thirst for knowledge both inside and outside the school environment.
After elementary school, my parents enrolled me in a private Catholic school, St. Ann’s. There, I learned how to thrive in a more structured learning environment. I learned habits and skills that I hadn’t needed while home-schooled, such as public speaking and collaboration in group projects.
As high school approached, my parents decided to send me to public school. But instead of attending my local high school, I received a geographic exception to attend Radford High School, the school near where my mother taught. Here I thrived, taking honors and Advanced Placement classes, belonging to several student groups, and graduating in the top 5% of my class.
My sister and brother, who were also home-schooled, followed soon after as a salutatorian and valedictorian of their respective graduating classes.
I’ve always been proud of my diverse educational background and recognized how important those years were. Each learning environment served me in a different way, developed different skills, and set me on a path of success.
As I transitioned away from classrooms and into my career, I became interested in education policy and learned there was a name for what I experienced: school choice. At the time, my parents didn’t realize the decisions they were making for their children were an example of school choice — they simply wanted to find an educational environment where we could thrive, just like any parent.
As I started my career in the Hawaii State Legislature and eventually found myself working as a congressional staffer, I realized that not every student has the opportunities I did. Not every parent has the ability to make these important decisions about their child’s education.
Educators know that every child learns differently and not every learning environment is best suited for every student. In order to best serve students, we need to ensure that they have the ability to access an education that will help them reach their full potential.
This is why I am so passionate about school choice — because I lived it, so I truly recognize its importance and value. I want every student to have the opportunity to learn in an environment suited to his or her needs, whether that is a public, private, charter, or other education option.
Every January, parents, students, schools, and educators celebrate National School Choice Week, an effort to raise awareness of the importance of school choice and the variety of available education options. With this year’s week of celebration ended, we must remember that parents and educators are making these choices every day. Rather than putting away our yellow National School Choice Week scarves, we must continue to push forward and advocate for more access to education options for all students.
As parents and educators continue to innovate and find additional ways to meet student needs, new choice options will emerge. The opportunities are endless for those looking to design an education system that allows families to access a well-rounded education tailored specifically for their children.
As a supporter, advocate, and beneficiary of school choice, these advancements fill me with hope that someday soon all children will have the opportunity to accomplish everything they set out to do and more. And it all starts with a mother, father, or other caregiver having educational choices for his or her children.
Noelani Kahapea is the director of strategic partnerships at the Association of American Educators, a nonunion teaching association serving tens of thousands of educators nationwide.
