Starla Brown, AFP-MS State Director
- As Starla Brown writes, universal access means students are not consigned to failing schools while the fortunate and well-connected leave.
A new year brings the hope of movement – away from the bad and toward the good. Many of us resolve to get “unstuck” from the bad habits we feel plagued us the year before.
We don’t like the feeling of being stuck, but when it comes to our state’s education policy, that’s exactly what is happening.
For at least 12 years, our children remain stuck in the public school assigned by their ZIP code. They can’t choose another school except in the narrowest of circumstances, regardless of how they are doing in their school.
They’re stuck.
But Mississippi legislators have the chance to free our students in the new legislative session beginning January 7. Universal public school access—allowing our children to go to any public school in the state, regardless of district lines—will be on the docket. It’s an opportunity they should not let pass by.
We are proud of our public schools. They are cornerstones of our communities and prepare our children for lifetimes of learning and success. Mississippi schools’ rising performance nationally demonstrates that our schools are strengthening.
We can still do better. The hard reality is that not every school works for every student. Myriad factors—culture, peers, location, class offerings—affect how well a student fits in a school.
Universal access breaks away from the arbitrary limitations that district lines impose on students. Instead, students and their families can enroll in the school that works best for their unique needs. In other words, students have a choice.
This choice would empower families and create accountability for schools. Instead of being stuck in a school that isn’t working for that particular child—students and parents could seek out better fits in other ZIP codes. This capacity to choose means that students and families can vote with their feet, and every student has the opportunity to access and environment that works for them.
Choice generates innovation, too. Teachers, administrators, and parents can team up to create new and attractive learning opportunities—innovation like what we’re already seeing in Mississippi in the private education sphere.
Imagine the possibilities. Maybe one school focuses on being the region’s best for students with a learning disability. Another nurtures a robotics program. Yet another invests in theater. Universal access would allow students to pick the school that best fits their capacities and interests, instead of requiring a school to be everything to everybody.
None of this means that students have to move. If students are thriving in a school, they can and should stay, and schools would still need to offer a full curriculum.
But universal access does mean that students are not consigned to failing schools while the fortunate and well-connected leave. If a school is failing its students, every student should have the right to move.
In fact, it is those who are struggling the most who most see the opportunities in universal access. A recent national poll found that lower income and working classes support universal access at higher rates than the middle and upper class—78 and 71% versus 68 and 59%, respectively.
Most striking, though, is that parents overwhelmingly support universal access—75% of those with school-age children. These national figures track closely with support for universal access in the Magnolia State.
Each student is unique, and a one-size-fits-all solution just doesn’t work. Giving students a choice allows families to find the education that works for them, but it does more, too. It creates a culture of innovation and success, driving up performance and satisfaction for all our students.
Nobody should be stuck, least of all our students. Mississippi’s legislature should pass universal public school access this term and free students to find the educational environment that fits them best.
Starla Brown
