In the debate over public versus charter schools, private education versus homeschooling and virtual learning, one crucial element often gets lost: quality.
Instead of pitting one educational institution against another, efforts should focus on school choice – and should recognize and support all good schools be they public, private, charter, at-home, or virtual.
School choice recognizes that no single type of school is perfect for all students and is centered on the principle that families should have the option to select the best educational setting for their children.
Public schools may offer extracurricular activities and specialized programs, but sometimes have overcrowded classrooms and limited resources. Charter schools might provide innovative curricula and personalized learning but can face scrutiny over accountability and equitable access. Private schools may offer small class sizes and rigorous academics but often are priced beyond the reach of many families. Homeschooling allows customization and flexibility but requires a significant parental investment of time and resources. Virtual schools offer convenience and access to a wide range of courses but can lack the social interaction and hands-on learning experiences of other settings.
Given these pros and cons, the focus should not be on endorsing or condemning any particular type of school, it should be on identifying and nurturing high-quality schools across all categories.
Highlighting Exemplary Schools
Consider Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in Montgomery, Alabama. Under the leadership of Quesha Starks, this public school is a beacon of excellence, offering hands-on, interdisciplinary, arts-centered instruction. Using technology to support the curriculum, students are challenged to achieve academically and artistically.
Another example is Odyssey Charter School, Delaware's first mathematics-focused, dual-language elementary charter school dedicated to giving a diverse population of students every opportunity to learn. Odyssey combines classical learning with a dual-language approach, giving students crucial life skills. Partnering with the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration allows them to recruit highly qualified instructors from Greece, who co-teach with American counterparts. This innovative model provides students with a rich, well-rounded education.
Step N' Stones, founded by Tinika Ross Dismuke in Thomasville, Georgia, offers another perspective on quality education. This private, non-traditional school provides individualized academic programs and holistic therapy services for neurodivergent students. The school’s focus on occupational therapy, applied behavioral analysis, and counseling for children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders ensures that each student receives the support they need to thrive.
For homeschooling, The Melanin Village offers an exemplary model, making an outstanding education easier by providing homeschoolers with resources, classes, curricula, professional development, and community support.
Finally, there’s Optima Academy Online. Offering a unique, high-quality liberal arts curriculum in a virtual reality learning space, Optima allows students to engage in live instruction or follow a self-paced course via internet access. The VR environment makes learning immersive and interactive, capturing the best elements of both traditional and online education.
Ensuring Accessibility and Quality
The success of these diverse educational models underscores the importance of quality over type. The key is to identify what makes these schools successful and replicate that success.
School choice can drive these efforts and it must be available – without barriers – to all students. That means: providing financial assistance to allow children to attend private schools, increasing the number of charter schools, offering resources and support for homeschooling parents, and ensuring that virtual learning platforms are affordable and accessible.
The Role of Parents and Communities
Parents are key. By staying informed and pushing for higher standards and more resources, parents drive demand for quality education. Communities – local businesses, non-profits, and other organizations – can also play a role in supporting diverse educational models.
Educators and school leaders must be open to collaboration and innovation. Sharing best practices and learning from one another elevates the quality of education across the board. e.g. public schools can adopt the personalized learning approaches of charter schools; private schools might benefit from the community engagement strategies of homeschooling networks.
The Path to Excellence
The debate over which approach is best, ultimately, is less important than the overarching goal of providing high-quality education for all students. School choice gives families the options they need to find the best educational fit for their children, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement across all types of schools.
By focusing on quality and accessibility, we can ensure that every child can receive a world-class education, regardless of where they live or how they learn. The success of schools like Booker T. Washington, Odyssey Charter, Step N' Stones, The Melanin Village, and Optima Academy is a testament to what is possible when quality is the top priority
As professionals and advocates for education, let us champion school choice and work together to create an educational landscape that values and supports excellent schools, no matter their type. The future of our children—and our society—depends on it.