wataru14 wrote: The only "school choice" people will have is religious schools, which should not receive any federal funding whatsoever (I'm not completely convinced they should be allowed to exist at all, but that's another topic).
This quote has bothered me since I read it last week. You do realize that in America the Constitution rules and that the First Amendment protects the Free Exercise of Religion?
Throughout history the Know Nothings, the KKK, politicians like Maine Republican James G. Blaine have tried to suppress religious schools. The Constitution has always protected the existence of such schools. In 1925 the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a case, Pierce v Society of Sisters, from Oregon on a law that mandated students attend public schools. In a unanimous decision the Court ruled the law unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment saying, "The child is not the mere creature of the state." Learn more here:
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1900-1940/268us510Again, my point is that each child is different and that parents are the only ones who should choose where they attend school. Governments chief responsibility is to support that choice. While both of President Obama's appointees supported limited public school choice, having a Secretary of Education who understands the principle of full and complete parental choice is refreshing.
The USA is a pluralistic nation that has always and should always respect a multitude of educational, social service and health care providers. To do otherwise is to reject pluralism and think that one size fits all is best. As a teacher I cannot think of a worse scenario.