D.C. Needs Real School Choice
Rachel Sheffield /
Technically, the District of Columbia offers school choice. However, as a Washington Post article pointed out this weekend, there is a difference between school choice and real school choice, the latter available to too few students in the nation’s capital.
D.C. children who attend an underperforming school are allowed to transfer to other public schools—including charter schools—of their choice. Yet while D.C. may be seen as “a showcase for school choice”—as its “14-year-old charter school law is considered to be one of the strongest in the nation”—most D.C. public schools have abysmally low proficiency levels. And though charter schools are available, it is difficult for parents to find a spot for their child in the handful of those with top rankings. (more…)