The problem of school choiceIs it right to force students to attend the schools prescribed to them by geography? Is it right to deny students living in poorer neighborhoods the chance to attend better schools with better facilities, better teachers and safer conditions? Should we allow our tax revenues to leave our school districts for greener pastures? Should we allow schools that are poor in both resources and performance to wither in the bud, an acceptable victim of competition? Due to dissatisfaction with many public schools, particularly those located in large urban settings, a movement has arisen to allow students to choose alternatives to their assigned schools. arisen in various parts of the country and abroad. Proponents argue that competition for students (and associated tax revenue) will automatically improve all schools. They point to Vermont towns that have no schools of their own and allow all their students to choose between surrounding public and private schools, applying tax dollars to those entities. They talk about the successes of magnet schools and charter schools and connect the concept of school choice to our fundamental rights under the Constitution. What kind of American could argue with something like that? What kind of capitalist would disagree with the beneficial performance effect produced by competition? Who wouldn't love the idea of ​​students being able to choose their school based on the quality or experience of teachers, special offers, or curriculum? Who doesn't shudder when they see images on television of inner-city schools marked by graffiti, with bars on the windows and fear in the eyes of their students? Wouldn't we all like to see students flee these schools? Of course we would. But I… halfway down the paper… a series of programs: one school might focus on theater, another on science enrichment, yet another on government. But we couldn't let a discrepancy in funding or community engagement turn one school into a palace and another into a snake pit. If we reformed education funding so that schools receive the resources they need to attract students based on their special characteristics, rather than a desire to escape something, controlled school choice could work. I believe in the concept of magnet schools and maybe even charter schools. Convince me that the neediest students won't be left with the scum and we can start talking about it. Until then, let's work to address what makes some schools work and others not. We view public education as an investment in the quality of life of our society, not simply a right for someone else.