Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

‘Tipping Point’ for Choice Awaits Full Funding Equity

October 16, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

In your Sept. 5, 2007, edition, Paul T. Hill writes that we are, to quote the title of his Commentary, “Waiting for the ‘Tipping Point’” that school choice could offer. He says that school choice is proving to be harder than expected, and that it is not challenging public education significantly. I certainly agree with him that choice makes parents full partners in education. But I suggest that we will not reach the “tipping point” until all parents have full choice over the education of their children.

An integral part of the choice debate is the role that independent and religious schools play. That choice is not available to all, however, and those who choose such schools for their children do so at great sacrifice.

Catholic schools have proven for hundreds of years that they offer a quality academic program, and do so at a fraction of the cost per pupil that the public schools spend. The schools within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, N.Y., follow the state’s standards, administer state assessments, and award Regents diplomas. Yet efforts to secure some assistance for parents who exercise this choice have proved minimal.

So, until the financial resources are available to parents to choose any school for their child, the “tipping point,” I believe, will not be reached.

Jane Herb

Superintendent

Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany

Albany, N.Y.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 17, 2007 edition of Education Week as ‘Tipping Point’ for Choice Awaits Full Funding Equity

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read