As an educator, I am passionate about improving the lives of the children I teach. But as a proud mother of two young men myself, I recognize that parents almost always understand their children best and serve as the best advocates on their behalf. This National School Choice Week, I strongly encourage parents in Washington, D.C. to embrace the quality educational options that school choice can offer.
Some parents might find school choice intimidating. They don’t know what school to select, are put off by the paperwork, or are uncomfortable with venturing outside their neighborhood. But I would encourage both parents and students to head outside their comfort zone and discover a greater experience. Parents might be surprised, as I was, knowing that school choice will help their children succeed.
Statistics indicate that many students in Washington could benefit from school choice. According to the latest standardized tests, only about one in five D.C. eighth-graders achieve levels of proficiency in reading (20 percent) and math (21 percent). Scores remain well below the national average, and the performance gap between African-American and white students has remained statistically unchanged for nearly two decades.
School choice worked great for my sons. They both studied math in college, received full scholarships, and one graduated with no student loan debt. Their excellent outcomes came in large part thanks to school choice, and the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. I couldn’t have afforded their grade school and high school tuition without it.
Some people might think that school choice undermines public education. I disagree, and I spent seven years teaching in D.C. public schools where I helped many bright students graduate. I sent my sons to other schools than the ones where I taught, not because I don’t believe in public education, but because I wanted to send them to the schools that matched the levels of success that many parents might want for their families too.
For instance, as a single parent, I valued easy access to the before and after-school programs where they mastered chess, biology, computer programming, and robotics. I also looked for schools that offered a rigorous curriculum, with college-level Advanced Placement classes in subjects like math and English. And as a teacher myself, I looked for schools with seasoned teachers and staff members I could relate to, and who could relate to my sons — and who felt like part of our extended family.
This week is National School Choice Week, when parents and educators will gather at more than 40,000 events nationwide the week of Jan. 20-26. These events will celebrate the way in which school choice options, including the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, have helped literally millions of children achieve their full potential.
I would strongly encourage you to use National School Choice Week as an opportunity to learn more about school choice yourself, and consider whether it might work for your children, or other children you may know. I discovered school choice by attending a school fair, where I realized that school choice would give my two sons a greater chance at graduating from high school and obtaining a wider range of college admission offers.
Some years later, I can now call myself the proud parent of not one but two college scholars — and school choice helped make it all possible. I firmly believe that expanded access to school choice will help your sons and daughters succeed too.
Donna Taylor is a D.C.-area educator and mother.
