Should parent voice be a major consideration in determining where students attend
school? Defend your answer. Comment on the post of at least one classmate.
Pro
1. The public school system is a monolithic structure that fosters middle class conformity.
2. Public schooling perpetuates the existing power structure, including the subordination
effects of class, caste, and gender.
3. The reduced quality of public education necessitates that parents be given options in
order to locate better learning environments.
4. Increasing choices means expanding educational opportunities for low income and
minority students.
5. Competitive schools should stimulate statewide efforts to implement school reform.
Con
1. School choice will promote a dual class educational system, schools for the rich and
schools for the poor.
2. Parental choice will breed intolerance for diversity and will further religious, racial, and
socioeconomic isolation.
3. Transporting students out of neighborhoods is costly for school districts and is time
consuming for students.
4. Choice may not increase equity. In fact, it may lead to further segregation of low-
income and minority students.
5. Choice is not a solution for securing adequate funding, upgrading teachers
pedagogical skills, or reforming education.