School Choice

Rand Paul, in the Washington Post, has an editorial here on fixing education.  He brings out the usual suggestions, particularly emphasizing school choice:

Mr. Paul, I find it hard to know exactly what you want.  Choice for everyone?  Will schools also have choice in whom they take?  In what they teach?  If a child wants to take high-level science courses, but the magnet science school is full, will that child have to attend the arts school, and give up his science dream?   Public schools now have programs for almost all students.  Will charter and private schools have to replicate that?

 Local control?  Do you want total local control, or should schools still have to do standardized testing, to see how well the students are doing?  Will taxpayers have any input?  They are, after all, footing the bill, and these are their children.

 What about special ed.?  It is now a huge chunk out of every public school budget.  Will these independent and charter schools be able to say oh, sorry, we are not equipped to handle a child like that? 

My own take on improving schools is more modest.  Make the development of avid-reading behavior the highest goal, and we will again outscore all of the other countries.