Re: 鈥淓quity is important in school board鈥檚 decisions on catchment,鈥� comment, Feb. 28.
鈥淩esearch shows鈥� seems to be the catchphrase for junk science. The commentary suggested that school choice was bad, it leads to inequity and parents should cease their demands.
It鈥檚 a time-worn argument, and it might be one of the reasons why more parents than ever are opting to send their children to the private system, so they don鈥檛 have to hear about it.
In the same organization that is referenced in the commentary, one can also find an even stronger argument for school choice. Andreas Schleicher is the director of education at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and here鈥檚 his opening statement on a 2017 brief:
鈥淪chool choice will only generate the anticipated benefits when the choice is real, relevant and meaningful, i.e. when parents can choose an important aspect of their child鈥檚 education, such as the pedagogical approaches used to teach them. If schools are not allowed to respond to diverse student populations, and to distinguish themselves from each other, choice is meaningless.鈥�
鈥淎ll parents must be able to exercise their right to choose the school of their preference; that means government and schools need to invest in developing their relationships with parents and local communities, and help parents make informed decisions.
鈥淪uccessful choice-based systems have carefully designed checks and balances that prevent choice from leading to inequity and segregation.鈥�
We pay our taxes accordingly, and we have every right to demand choice for our children鈥檚 academic careers.
Tara Houle
North Saanich
