In most American communities, students are assigned to schools according to where they live. Parents of young children often take this into account when deciding
where to live: They choose places where their children can attend good schools. Consequently, families who can afford higher housing costs gravitate toward neighborhoods with higher-quality schools.
Because lower-income families can’t afford that choice, they have little power to decide where their children will go to school. They have to settle for whatever school government assigns, regardless of whether it is safe or effective. As a result, we essentially have two education systems—one for families who can afford to live near good public schools or pay for private school (after paying taxes to support public schools) and the other for families who can’t afford to choose where they live.
Slowly but surely, this is starting to change. In recent decades, more states and communities have adopted policies that let families choose the best school for their children—no matter where they live. School choice is expanding the horizons of tens of thousands of students. Soon it should be the reality for all American students.
