School choice is the answer

You say these schools serve intense concentrations of poverty and trauma. A primary cause of such concentrations of poverty and trauma has been our public city schools. That is what happens when generation after generation of caring parents escape to the suburbs as fast as possible because well-intentioned liberals like yourself refuse them the choice of where their child should be educated.

Who is left behind? Those who reject educational choice shoulder much of the blame for the decay of our inner city and associated suburban sprawl.

Best practices are only replicated when bad schools are allowed to fail and successful schools are allowed to prosper. The only avenue for this to occur is by school choice. This is no different from any other aspect of our economy. For a society founded around freedom of choice and voluntary association, it is ironic that our school system is about the most communistic in the Western world.

I only hope the “Great School Wars” have just begun. May the elitist disdain for parent’s ability to choose the best school for their child be defeated by a respect for their ability to choose the best school for their child. Mr. Thompson, I know you are well-intentioned, but like No Child Left Behind, your “updated terminology” and vague platitudes do us no good.

—Matthew Trimble, Oklahoma City