Empower

Public Schools

Since public schools are funded by federal, state, and local governments, the government has a say in how they are run — including curriculum and hiring. Public schools are state actors who must follow federal guidelines, including the U.S. Constitution, and uphold federal anti-discrimination laws.

Traditional public schools must accept all students; these students are assigned to schools based on where they live.

Charter schools are funded with tax dollars, much like traditional public schools. However, charter schools often do not fall within the jurisdiction of local public school districts and often have greater freedom to determine their operations and hiring. Depending on where they are located, charter schools may fall within or outside educational oversight by the state.

Magnet schools are public schools that offer specialized instruction (for example, in math & science, or the arts). Like charter schools and traditional public schools, they are taxpayer funded. Magnet schools are often selective, admitting students either through a competitive application process or a lottery.

The Big Picture

Knowledge is power. If you walk into a meeting confident that you know what you’re talking about, you’ll be more effective. Below are some resources that might be helpful as you think through these issues and how you might want to engage.

In addition, other topics you might want to research for your specific school include:

• Budget: How much is being spent on specific programs/curriculum? Were any outside consultants brought in, for what reason, and at what cost? Do you believe that these resources might have been better spent elsewhere to benefit needy students? Where?
• Education quality: How does your school perform? What percentage of children read at grade level? How about math and other subjects? How does that compare with your city/state/national statistics? If your school isn’t a top performer, is it really smart to direct time and resources away from basic learning?
• Public Opinion: Has your school collected any feedback about its programming? If so, was it anonymous? If not, those results are probably inaccurate, seeing as a majority of Americans self-censor on controversial subjects out of fear.

Private Schools

Private schools educate about 10% of American schoolchildren. As non-government schools, they are a key component of civil society. And because they are private, they’re not subject to all of the regulations that govern public schools. As private actors, private schools set their own standards for admissions, hiring, curriculum and how the school is run.

Private schools contribute to education diversity, with options for parents to select the school that best meets their children’s individual needs or aligns with their family’s faith and values. More states are offering more school choice options than ever before.

Not all private schools are the same. So parents need to do their homework when choosing their child’s school, and stay involved along the way.