Kevin Kiley: “This week, we celebrate School Choice Week, and it certainly is something to be celebrated. Across the country, school…”

“This week, we celebrate School Choice Week, and it certainly is something to be celebrated. Across the country, school choice has been an abundant source of opportunity and force for good, lifting the life prospects of millions of students. It is important to recognize at the outset that for a particular group of people across this country, school choice exists to the fullest extent. Those are the families who are fortunate enough to have the financial means to create choices for themselves by moving into a community that has good public schools or by sending their kids to private schools. This form of school choice exists in all 50 States. When it comes to everyone else, there is a stark difference among the 50 States. You see, there are some States that have decided that school choice should be available not just for some but for everyone. For example, you have States like Florida that have offered a variety of different school choice options. In fact, Florida is ranked number one in the country when it comes to educational freedom and, not coincidentally, also ranks near the top when it comes to the performance of their kids ranked among the States across the country. {time} 1445 But then there are other States that have opted to have a two-tier education system, where they say we will have school choice for those that can afford it, but everyone else, they say, we are going to tell you where you will send your child to school.…”