Five Questions for the President of National School Choice Week
This week marks the seventh-annual National School Choice Week, and the organization behind it expects this year's event to be the largest yet, with approximately 20,000 independently-organized events taking place around the country. Started in 2011, National School Choice Week considers itself “the world’s largest annual celebration of opportunity in education.” It's even crossed over into pop culture. In 2013, the Jonas Brothers, who were homeschooled, launched National School Choice Week with a concert in Phoenix.
Since Donald Trump tapped school choice activist Betsy DeVos to be his education secretary, the topic has dominated the education debate in America. RealClearEducation caught up with Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week, to ask him five questions about this year's event and the controversy surrounding DeVos and the impact school choice has on American education.
RealClearEducation: What is National School Choice Week and how many students and schools participate?
Campanella: “National School Choice Week is an annual celebration of opportunity in education. We invite students, schools, business leaders, elected officials, and people from across the country to take time, during National School Choice Week, to raise awareness of school choice through thousands of unique, independently-planned events across the country. We spotlight all types of education options, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, online academies and homeschooling. For 2017, there are more than 16,000 schools holding events, 2,000 homeschool groups, and 1,500 chambers of commerce. We estimate that 6.4 million people will attend events and tens of millions of additional people will participate.”
RealClearEducation: How has school choice grown and expanded over the past decade?
Campanella: “School choice has grown enormously in the last ten years. When you look at the landscape of education, it is increasingly being defined by choice and opportunity. Too often, school choice is narrowly defined. When you look at school choice through the lens of parents being empowered to choose the best schools for their individual kids, you'll see that more American families than ever before are actively choosing the education environments that are right for their children. Open enrollment is up. Charter schools are flourishing. Magnet schools are more popular than ever. Private school choice is a reality in half the states in the country. Online learning is helping kids connect with amazing educators around the world. And homeschooling continues to grow every year, too.”
RealClearEducation: With the nomination of Betsy DeVos, school choice has come to the forefront of the education debate in America. Critics of school choice argue that it drains resources from traditional public schools. They also point to some districts where the results of school choice aren't good or show little signs of improvement. What is your response to these criticisms?
Campanella: “The response is simple: anyone who is talking about school choice and isn't counting traditional public schools as a vital choice that parents can make for their kids, is counting out public education, and I think that's a mistake. So, I don't know how school choice can hurt traditional public schools when they are an important component of school choice. I do, however, know that research shows school choice helps all schools, and helps traditional public schools improve when they need to. What's most important to remember, though, is that education is about kids and their futures. It seems too easy for some folks to lose sight of that.”
RealClearEducation: Looking around the country, what is the best example of school choice improving educational outcomes for students?
Campanella: “There are millions of individual examples. For me, I look at children who were failing in a school, and then, because of school choice, were able to attend another school and ended up graduating as valedictorian. If you need an example of school choice improving outcomes, visit a school that embraces the concept of school choice, and I guarantee you: you will be absolutely transformed on this issue if you're not already a supporter. To support school choice is to believe in the potential of every child, trust parents, and remember that each child is different and learns differently.”
RealClearEducation: Some critics say that school choice isn't an option for rural students, primarily because many rural public schools can't afford to lose students and funding. What are your thoughts on school choice for rural America?
Campanella: “Look at Iowa. This is a rural state that has had school choice for more than a decade, and it's working beautifully. Look at rural parts of Arizona, and even my adopted home state of Florida. There are so many examples of school choice working well in rural areas. Now, is it more geographically complex? Yes. But it's definitely do-able. And technology helps. Plus, when did we as Americans shy away from things because they are complicated? We can't start doing that or we'll only fall behind. Rural America deserves educational options and opportunities just like everyone else!”
Christopher Beach is the editor of RealClearEducation.
