The Pandemic and the Future of School Choice
By Tyler Bonin
School Choice Is Gaining Momentum—What Are the Key Issues Involved?
Corey DeAngelis Shares His Insight With CLT
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year introduced dramatic changes to daily life. Notably, education has been disrupted in a substantial way as the mass closure of schools left families to make swift decisions concerning the continuation of their children’s learning. Homeschooling applications have seen a massive increase in recent months, and many families have sought other options such as “pandemic pods” and virtual charter schools. Additionally, many private schools have instituted safety measures in order to begin offering in-person instruction to their students as many public schools remain closed. Undoubtedly, the discussion surrounding education delivery during the outbreak has catapulted school choice to the forefront.
But what exactly is school choice? At its core, it involves the availability of educational options such as public charter schools, magnet schools, vouchers for private school tuition, education savings accounts, and burden-free systems for homeschool creation. However, the issue of choice extends well beyond these educational avenues to a deeper discussion on the disparity among residentially-assigned schools, the varying nature of education funding in the U.S., and the effects of competitive pressure among schools.
Dr. Corey DeAngelis, Director of School Choice at the Reason Foundation and Executive Director of the Educational Freedom Institute, joins Jeremy Tate on the Anchored podcast to shed light on consequential issues in education today. He discusses such topics as why students—and not systems—should be funded, how competition among educational providers improves outcomes for all students, and why the contentious nature of the political debate on school choice grows (even among politicians whose own families attend private schools). This is an episode you don’t want to miss!
Anchored podcast with guest Corey DeAngelis releases Thursday, September 24th. Listen on our Anchored podcast website. Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Published on 23rd September, 2020.