Just in time for the upcoming 2012 legislative session, a new scientific poll from the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice shows that large majorities of New Mexicans endorse school choice. A press release on the polling data can be found here. More details on the poll itself can be found here.
62 percent of surveyed voters in New Mexico support proposals similar to those that have been introduced in the New Mexico state legislature to offer individuals and corporations tax credits for donating to nonprofits that distribute private school scholarships.
78 percent of New Mexico voters polled support a tax credit program providing special needs students with private school scholarships.
65 percent of New Mexico voters rate their public school system as “Fair/Poor” compared with only 32 percent rating it as “Good/Excellent.”
I certainly do agree with school choice, but only if one of the options is a school of better quality. Every year education experts offer new programs and more money, but every change is merely a rehashing of the old progressive educational philosophies which is not fit for man or beast. We need reform in the fundamentals of education, returning to the tried and true classical education, which is firmly based upon the self-evident nature of human beings and promotes truth, beauty, and goodness. If such education is one of the choices, then choice will work. If our only choice is between different versions of the same progressive educational methods and philosophy, then we really have no choice at all.
If “choice” means that a variety of schools operating outside the government sector are available, then I am confident you will have plenty of options besides the “progressive” model.