Spend much time with wealthy, well-educated liberals and you’ll be astounded at the sheer amount of time they spend thinking about and agonizing over their kids’ education. In some locations they battle for admission to the best preschools. I’ve seen families send three different kids to three different schools simply because the “culture” or the “philosophy” suits each child’s unique temperament. If a child isn’t thriving socially or academically, they’ll yank them out of one school and place them elsewhere, seeking just the right fit.
I can’t imagine telling those parent they can’t do what they believe is best for their child because some study, somewhere says the chances of test score improvement aren’t great. At that moment you’d be glad they’re also likely against carrying weapons, or they might shoot you. They’d tell you their choice isn’t just about achievement tests, or that other children’s scores aren’t relevant to their kid, or that they’re choosing the school because it’s the best social environment.
But take this same progressive parent and talk to them about school choice for poor kids, and they’ll shake their head and say, “Well, I read on Vox that peer-reviewed studies are showing minimal improvement or even some slight regression in median test scores in schools participating in voucher programs. Choice isn’t good for the poor.”
The bottom line is that moms and dads want choices for their kids. Many states and cities have the resources to provide those choices without raising taxes or straining the present school financing system. But the liberal elite says no — no to moving children who fail to thrive, no to moving children who are being bullied, no to moving kids who seek a chance at better scores, no to moving kids for the sake of the very “fit” they crave for their own children.
To be clear, though I find parental education obsessions annoying, I don’t resent another family’s decision to spend a single dime of their resources to make their own choices. What I do find ridiculous is the notion that when it comes even to revenue-neutral reforms, many of those same families will actively work to prevent the poor from enjoying even a fraction of the options the progressive elite takes for granted.