Wired For Noise

Anyone who read Mom IS Teaching when I wrote there knows that I can be a bit critical of public education. OK, so maybe a little more than a bit. So I’m not the system’s biggest fan. But a new poll shows that maybe it’s not just me, maybe it’s an Oklahoman trait.

IN many parts of Oklahoma, the only school choice is hoping your child will get the third-grade teacher everyone loves or the high school math teacher who makes the Pythagorean theorem seem not so much like a foreign language.

So what should policy-makers, educators and the public make of a new poll suggesting 83 percent of Oklahomans wanting the best education for their children would choose a learning environment other than a public school? At a minimum, we’d hope the findings would cause them to step back and ponder why so many parents think that way. Ideally, the education establishment will embrace the challenge of make public schools the place to be, instead of the school as the second, third or perhaps even last resort.

Emphasis mine. That’s a pretty high number of folks that are not shaking their pom-poms for public schools. Back in January when the Quality Counts 2008 report came out Oklahoma scored about average, getting a C grade. Individually we scored A’s in Standards, Assessment, and Accountability. Unfortunately even with that we only got a D in college readiness.

Luckily we Oklahomans are a rugged bunch, not above branching out and doing things ourselves. We’re not the type of people to just sell cookies for the PTA and hope that the schools will get better. I don’t mean pulling out the tactical gear and storming the school but using the other options we have available to us as we need them.

The Oklahoman’s Wendy Kleinman reported last week about the growing popularity of virtual schools. Students can use online learning to supplement their education or catch up on missed credits. Some are going so far as to obtain their diplomas from Internet-based schools.

Oklahoma also is a state where homeschooling is embraced. With little regulation and more options for homeschool cooperatives and online courses to fill in the gaps, homeschool is a viable choice for those interested.

Parents want their children to have the education that best prepares them for the future. Now more than ever, they have choices beyond just the school down the street.

*image source - Steph P*

Related Reading:

New York: The Novel

The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling

Creation of Desire [Desire, Oklahoma 3] {Siren Menage Amour #36)