Is School Choice Being Promoted the Right Way?

You may have heard of Corey DeAngelis, a prominent school choice advocate. Initially focused on policy, he shifted to a more culture-war approach in recent years, partnering with far-right activist groups to push anti-LGBT, anti-CRT narratives. There’s also been controversy about his past involvement in gay adult films, which some see as hypocritical.

I made a video for The UnPopulist exploring how Corey’s move towards reactionary rhetoric has distracted from a genuine discussion about the benefits of school choice. I thought this forum, where people talk about education policy, might find it worth discussing. Here’s the video link, and I’d love to hear your thoughts: https://youtu.be/ghpHuhGVmtM?si=frZ6PLYsC93omZrg.

I don’t see any merits to school choice. It seems more like a way to privatize education for profit, diverting money away from public schools and into corporate pockets.

lmason said:
I don’t see any merits to school choice. It seems more like a way to privatize education for profit, diverting money away from public schools and into corporate pockets.

I always thought school choice was about giving parents a way to get their kids out of bad schools where they aren’t learning or are being bullied. Isn’t that a good thing?

But now that I think about it, maybe parents could push the original school to improve. I’m not sure.

@tony
That’s just the sales pitch. You highlight a few extreme cases, make it seem like it’s a widespread crisis, and then offer school choice as the perfect solution. It’s a classic bait-and-switch for profit.

Instead of offering a ‘fix,’ why not actually improve schools? Ask teachers (not administrators) what they need to make a difference, and give them the support to do it. But those pushing school choice aren’t interested in real solutions—they’re focused on cashing in.

@LearningFacilitator4
But educational neglect is pretty bad according to teachers. You see high school students who can’t read or write.

tony said:
@LearningFacilitator4
But educational neglect is pretty bad according to teachers. You see high school students who can’t read or write.

I agree it’s bad now, but it wasn’t always this way. The problems we’re seeing are partly because of poorly thought-out reforms, crazy rules, and a lack of real support for teachers. Back in the '80s and '90s, schools were better, and people immigrated to the US because of its great education system.

The current state of things doesn’t mean we can’t fix it though. We just need to empower teachers, pay them well, and respect their profession.

@LearningFacilitator4
Instead of trying to fix public schools, why not just send your kids to a private school that already works well?

PoshTosh said:
@LearningFacilitator4
Instead of trying to fix public schools, why not just send your kids to a private school that already works well?

Private schools don’t have the same regulations as public schools, so they’re not as accountable. It’s like a business—your ‘choice’ and ‘dollars’ don’t mean much when you’re dealing with big charter chains. And they’re spread out, so it’s not like you can just pick a school down the street.

There’s also the issue of ‘waiting lists’ and ‘applications.’ Why do you think those exist for private and charter schools, but not for public schools? Who gets accepted and why?

At the end of the day, charter schools are a cash grab for investors.

@LearningFacilitator4
Some private schools have higher standards than public ones, though. And I’d prefer to choose where my kids go to school.

Also, all the added regulations and administrators in public schools haven’t helped improve performance.

@PoshTosh
Not all regulations are bad. We do need them to make sure schools are doing their jobs. But there are useless rules that make things harder for good schools, which is part of the problem.

Also, private schools can set high expectations because they get to pick who they admit. Not all charter schools can do that, and they still have to make a profit for their investors, unlike established private schools.

When it comes to choosing schools, it’s important to look beyond just the idea of ‘choice’ and think about the larger implications.

@tony
How can parents hold a public school accountable? I send my kids to private school because they actually enforce discipline and don’t have to deal with so much admin nonsense.

PoshTosh said:
@tony
How can parents hold a public school accountable? I send my kids to private school because they actually enforce discipline and don’t have to deal with so much admin nonsense.

Parents who allow their kids to disrupt classes or do nothing and still get As are part of the problem.

@tony
What exactly do you mean?

lmason said:
I don’t see any merits to school choice. It seems more like a way to privatize education for profit, diverting money away from public schools and into corporate pockets.

That’s an oversimplification. There are benefits to school choice, but also serious downsides, like the funding issues you mentioned.

I went to talk to our state legislators about an education funding bill, and even the most conservative lawmaker in our district supported fully funding public schools. He was also in favor of school choice, and we had a good discussion about it. The problem isn’t that school choice advocates are always bad; it’s that we need safeguards to prevent misuse of funds.

It’s important to stop demonizing the other side and start working together.

@Luchivya
Regardless of their reasons, the end result of school choice is bad for public education and society as a whole.

If promoting school choice through policy wasn’t working for Corey DeAngelis, why did he switch to a more culture-war approach? Was it not effective?

Bernard4 said:
If promoting school choice through policy wasn’t working for Corey DeAngelis, why did he switch to a more culture-war approach? Was it not effective?

Because there’s no money in the policy approach.

Bernard4 said:
If promoting school choice through policy wasn’t working for Corey DeAngelis, why did he switch to a more culture-war approach? Was it not effective?

In his recent book, he says he wasn’t making enough progress with the traditional approach, so he pivoted to a more partisan, culture-war style.

@RichJohnson4
So do the ends justify the means in this case?

Bernard4 said:
@RichJohnson4
So do the ends justify the means in this case?

No, that’s exactly what I’m arguing against! The video specifically critiques this strategy.