School Choice Beats No Choice I am avidly pro school choice for two main reasons. Firstly, no child should be forced to attend an inadequate school, lacking in quality and diversity, which under the current system is rewarded for its failure. Second, children and parents who have strong beliefs about their academic and social goals need freedom to fit into an environment that maximizes their learning success. The ideal choice program, in my opinion, would include vouchers taken from the child's home. district and no more than the average amount spent locally per student. A voucher or draft is awarded upon completion of an in-depth interview of both the student, parents, assigned guardian or mentor, and an interview committee composed of the school board and nominated local business and taxpayer representatives. In turn, the project would be valid at any school in the United States, including institutions of higher education or for study abroad programs, provided that the student has met all application standards of said school. Interested parties are encouraged to make sparing use of funds or to creatively obtain any excess balance. Those who are unwilling to choose, unable to make such decisions, or deemed difficult to place, would be assigned local mentors to help them in this process. Actively encouraging families to choose involves them more fully in the educational process as a whole. An opposition will arise that will focus on issues such as community fragmentation, rampant unemployment and territorialism (outsiders seen as a potential detriment). Communities described as crime-ridden, inner-city, low-socioeconomic status may have high expectations for their children... halfway... that their students will be educated in the schools of their choice. I am confident that the active role the school board will take, within this system, generating individual and genuine concern and commitment to others, will help hold a community together. It becomes a challenge for every community to promote appropriate care and experiences for their children. Our goal is to create productive members in our society. This task becomes impossible for those stuck in a system without choice. Therefore, effectively implementing a voucher program and eliminating dysfunctional schools will provide the choices that will enable our communities to address these challenges. The competition generated by a program of choice should ensure excellence in teaching and dynamic educational systems which in turn will produce information users and managers in a global society.