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According to Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson, schools that accept voucher students should be subject to the same accountability measures as district schools. It is a flawed argument. Unlike private schools, district schools are not subject to one of the most powerful and empowering forms of accountability — parents.
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CommenTerry
On Tuesday, legislators introduced HB 944: Opportunity Scholarship Act in the House Education Committee. The bill would award private school vouchers of $4,200 to low-income children.
A number of opponents and proponents were on hand to comment on the bill during the committee meeting. Among those speaking in opposition to HB 944 was Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson. Her remarks are available on the State Superintendent Blog.
Atkinson argued that private schools that accept taxpayer-funded voucher students should be subject to the same accountability requirements as district schools. These requirements include A-F school grades and reporting of the school grades and standardized test scores. Apparently, Atkinson and her sizable staff at the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) believe that the "good for the goose is good for the gander" argument is the most compelling reason to oppose the bill in its current form.
First, what would happen if the House Education Committee called her bluff? Specifically, if the bill sponsors included school grades and accountability reporting in the bill, would Atkinson support it? I doubt it. I would rather Atkinson simply oppose the bill, rather than maintain the pretense that DPI cares about the well being of parents so much that they want strong accountability measures for private schools that educate voucher students.
Second, let’s consider the reverse scenario — private school accountability for district schools. Private schools live and die by the choices of parents. If parents are not satisfied with the educational environment of a private school, they will take their money and children elsewhere. That is powerful incentive for schools to ensure that the children they serve receive the education that best meets their needs and the needs of their parents.
District schools need not worry about parental accountability, which is why our state legislature mandates that they adopt other forms of accountability, e.g., school grades and testing. Indeed, district schools are monopolies and families have few alternatives unless they are relatively wealthy, make sacrifices to pay private school tuition, forgo income to home school, or have a charter school in the vicinity.
I believe in the ability of parents to make sound decisions about the education of their children. In fact, I would gladly substitute district school grades and testing requirements for parental accountability via school choice. But mine is the minority opinion. In the eyes of many teachers, administrators, school board members, state education officials, and legislators on both sides of the aisle, parents are problems, not partners. They reason that parents do not have the intelligence to make informed decisions about the schooling of their children and are thus morally obligated to delegate that responsibility to "the system." And we wonder why district school parents no longer feel the need to be actively involved in the education of their children.
In sum, if we are going to talk about accountability in a meaningful way, we need to talk about all aspects of it. The accountability measures outlined by Superintendent Atkinson during the first Opportunity Scholarship Act discussion represent one narrow aspect of the way that the state ensures that public schools spend billions in taxpayer dollars in productive ways. Testing and grades are necessary because the state and nation have neutered an arguably more powerful and empowering form of accountability — parents.
Facts and Stats
Eight essential elements outlined in SBE policy on family and community involvement:
- Communication — Facilitate regular, two-way, and meaningful communication between home and school. (Communication should be in a format that parents/guardians understand.)
- Parenting — Promote and support responsible parenting.
- Student Learning — Inform and involve parents and caregivers in children’s learning activities so that they may play an integral role in assisting student learning.
- Volunteering — Ensure that parents/guardians are welcome in the school and seek their support and assistance in a variety of ways.
- Advocacy and Decision-Making — Include parents/guardians as partners in the decisions that affect children and families.
- Training — Assess the parents’ informational needs and provide parent training based upon those needs.
- Community Collaboration — Collaborate with community agencies and other organizations to provide resources to strengthen school programs, families, and student learning.
- Student Health — Promote health awareness among parents/guardians by addressing the need for health programs and student health services, which are linked to student learning.
(From Parent and Family Involvement: A Guide to Effective Parent, Family, and Community Involvement in North Carolina Schools 2nd Edition published by the NC Department of Public Instruction)
Education Acronym of the Week
PIRC — Parent Information and Resource Center (PIRC)
Quote of the Week
"Each school receiving taxpayers dollars should be graded in the same manner in order for parents to have the necessary information to make wise decisions. If a grading scale of A-F is good for public schools, then it should be good enough for private schools."
– June Atkinson, House Education Committee, May 21, 2013
