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Stark difference in views of children

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell are pictured here outside the state Capitol with students and staff from Crossover Preparatory Academy after the State of the State address on February 3, 2020.

[Guest post by Jonathan Small]

In education debates, some people see children whose lives can be immeasurably improved, while others see children only as tools to gain political power. This sad contrast became glaringly apparent during Gov. Kevin Stitt’s recent State of the State speech.

Stitt urged lawmakers to raise the cap on the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program in order to “provide additional incentives for donors, resulting in more public-school grants and private-school scholarships.”

In attendance were Alegra Williams and her sons, Sincere and Chaves. When Sincere attended a local public school, he struggled and officials told Williams he had learning disabilities. But when a tax-credit scholarship allowed Sincere to attend Crossover Preparatory Academy, an all-boys private school in north Tulsa, Sincere jumped two-and-a-half reading levels. Crossover officials found he has no learning disabilities. Similarly, Chaves jumped three reading grade levels. Tax-credit scholarships allowed both boys to attend Crossover.

In touting his support for raising the cap on the tax-credit scholarship program, Stitt called on lawmakers to “join me and their mom in applauding” Chaves and Sincere’s “hard work this year.” When he did, the official Twitter account of the Oklahoma Education Association complained that Stitt had “called for a standing ovation of a family that left public schools for a private.”

For the OEA and similar entities, the success of children like Chaves and Sincere cannot be cheered. They view such children’s success only as a loss of political power. The OEA’s action was reminiscent of congressional Democrats’ refusal to applaud record-low unemployment for racial minorities and blue-collar income gains during President Donald Trump’s recent State of the Union address.

Trump, by the way, echoed Stitt and endorsed a federal version of Oklahoma’s Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act in his speech, saying the “next step forward in building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American dream. Yet, for too long, countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools.”

Supporting tax-credit scholarships and children like Sincere does not mean abandoning efforts to improve traditional public schools. Given that Oklahoma’s educational outcomes remain among the nation’s worst, we cannot afford to ignore those schools. But neither can we afford to squander children’s lives by telling them to expend their limited school years waiting for traditional schools to get their act together.

Like the Soviet Union’s old “five year plans,” the “turnaround” efforts of many local districts lead only to calls for more multi-year improvement programs. In the meantime, all 13 years of a child’s K-12 experience fly by and those youth are robbed of a quality education.

Even if the OEA doesn’t understand this, Governor Stitt and President Trump realize we are talking about children’s lives and Oklahoma’s future. For both to be brighter, Oklahoma lawmakers must side with Stitt and Trump, not the OEA.

Private giving achieves what government can’t

"Private giving builds institutions of civil society that provide valuable services, alleviating many pressing public problems," Karl Zinsmeister writes in The Wall Street Journal ("The War on Philanthropy").

The New York Public Library has operated as a charity since its founding 125 years ago, and Central Park is run by a donor-funded conservancy that rescued it from decay in 1980. Quietly effective philanthropies get little visibility, though, and scant credit from journalists, academics, and politicians.

Instead, progressive editorialists and political candidates openly call for deep cuts in the charitable deduction, an end to tax protections for churches and other charities, the taxing down of personal fortunes, and new regimes in which government becomes the sole ministrant of societal needs. Givers like the Kochs and Waltons are treated as punching bags for ideological reasons, but even liberals such as Bill Gates, Eli Broad, and Robert Smith are pilloried for practicing philanthropy. ...

Rather than being an instrument of plutocracy, America’s highly decentralized philanthropy is one of its most pluralistic and democratic elements. Philanthropy disperses authority, gives individuals direct opportunities to change their communities, and lets nonmainstream alternatives have their day in the sun. 

Charitable problem-solving also has many practical advantages. What works to alleviate homelessness or loneliness in old age may be different in Nebraska than in New York. With government programs it is almost impossible, even illegal, to pursue different strategies in different places. In philanthropy that’s easy—local variegation is one of the field’s inherent strengths. Studies show that philanthropic efforts are more effective than government in the amount of social repair accomplished per dollar.

One reason many progressives are so hostile to private giving is that government and charity are often competitors. They function in many of the same areas and sometimes attack the same problems, albeit in different ways. Critics of philanthropy argue that it is disruptive, even illegitimate, for civil-society groups to compete with the state. Public-employee unions, agency officials, and activists for big government scream when social authority and resources migrate from state bureaus and into independent organizations like charter schools, churches, medical charities, and trainers of the poor.

Authoritarians have always hated independent civil society. ... Even democratically elected leaders are often jealous of civil society and blind to its productivity. Vice President Joe Biden said a few years ago that “every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century, and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive.” The late Sen. Ted Kennedy once said that “the ballot box is the place where all change begins in America.” 

Actually, government and ballot boxes had surprisingly little to do with many climactic shifts in American history. From the rise of universal schooling to the revulsion against slavery, from the creation of great universities to the national mastery of rocketry and space flight, private donors paved the way for many breakthroughs. Charitable action has been one of the country’s most valuable sources of ingenuity and social progress. In fields from brain research to immunotherapy, from family revival to improving teacher quality, philanthropists continue to lead. 

If we view social refinement as solely the work of government, we will eventually despair because the political process so often disappoints. When we recognize the contributions of community institutions, self-help groups, faith activity, local norms, neighborhood networks and grass-roots collaborations, our prospects appear much brighter. 

In America, independent problem-solvers pounce on many issues before they even rise to national notice. Privately funded civil society attends to a vast range of problems and threats. This is a distinguishing strength of the U.S. It will be a tragedy if Americans allow our rich tradition of voluntary action to be smothered.

Oklahoma's private-school tuition may surprise you

According to the 2018 Oklahoma Policy Review, published by The Journal Record, Oklahoma's "average private school tuition is $4,588 for elementary schools and $6,140 for high schools." 

2018 Oklahoma Policy Review now available!!! https://t.co/VNy0XcphC3 pic.twitter.com/3sZ2VDErHq

— JRLegislativeReport (@JRLROK) July 24, 2018

From homeless to hopeful

Positive Tomorrows is transforming lives, one student at a time.

An expedition into life’s virtues, values

"On the fourth floor of the Downtown Oklahoma City Library lies Odyssey Leadership Academy which is home to 48 students from all over the metro area who have various educational backgrounds," the Edmond Sun reports.

No more stereotypes about schools

After spending time at private schools in Oklahoma which cater to homeless children and special-needs children, OCPA’s Trent England says it’s time to dispense with the stereotypes about private schools.

Another reminder that school-choice policy matters

"In news that should encourage those who care about education, and especially about giving a quality education to the poorest among us, Oklahoma City could soon be home to a Cristo Rey high school," The Oklahoman notes today.

Cristo Rey schools provide a private, Catholic, college-preparatory education to inner-city students who would normally never get to attend private school. In Cristo Rey's unique model, students attend classes four days a week, and work a job the fifth day. Wages earned go toward the student's tuition and cover up to 70 percent of the cost; the remainder comes from the student's family (with rates based on income) and private fundraising. ... 

Oklahoma City was chosen as a Cristo Rey site, in part, because the state offers a sizable tax credit to organizations that provide scholarships to low-income students and because enactment of education savings accounts is under consideration. Just another reminder that good policy can translate into increased opportunity for all Oklahomans.

Cristo Rey could be coming to OKC

KFOR has the story.

'A private school on a public scale'

"A small test is being conducted in North Carolina that could prove to be a model for national success," David N. Bass writes. "Located in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metro region, Thales Academy is a K-12 college preparatory private school that is tearing down the private-school cost barrier."

What lessons does Thales Academy have to teach us? One of the key takeaways is that a mixture of high-quality instruction with a low-cost, no-frills mentality is a recipe that parents are flocking to. It’s also one that draws heated opposition from liberals, who fear that parental choice will threaten their stranglehold on the education bureaucracy. 

The big news, of course, is that it will.

Top teachers become multimillionaires

"I think one of the benefits of private education is that teachers compete with each other," says a millionaire teacher quoted in this Washington Post story.

Muskogee grandmother to open school for autistic children

"A Muskogee woman with two autistic grandchildren says special needs students have the right to learn everything other kids learn, and she’s doing something about it," the Muskogee Phoenix reports. She's starting a school.

"Once parents see the pain of their children getting kicked out of school, they are acutely aware of the value that a school like Future Scholars can provide," said Walterine Pickett. "Muskogee Public Schools are suspending and expelling too many kids at an alarming rate because of behavior. Kids with undiagnosed special needs are being punished for something they want to do that they can't, like normal social interaction. So we need to quit expelling them, quit punishing them and give them what they need, a nurturing environment."

St. John Christian Heritage Academy is changing lives

Little Light Christian School aims to keep inmates' children out of jail

KOCO-TV has the story.

'Private schools avoiding Common Core debates'

FOX 23 in Tulsa has the story.

'Making tomorrow positive'

Positive Tomorrows serves as the only school in Oklahoma for homeless children, The Oklahoman reports.

And ESAs would enable the school to help even more children.

The poor and private education

James Tooley discusses low-cost ($1 per month) private schools run by entrepreneurs in some of the most destitute places on earth.

'Boy hopes to aid his Tulsa special needs school'

"A 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy hopes to raise $250,000 for his school," the Associated Press reports.

Keith Boyd, who uses an assisted-language device that he operates with his eyes, is nonverbal and unable to move his body. He used the device to write a business plan for Keith's Ice Cold Lemonade Stand, a business he plans to launch in the spring. All proceeds would go to Little Light House, a Tulsa school for children with special needs.

'Why classical schools just might save America'

"It’s time for a partnership between religion and freedom," Owen Strachan writes.

Fleeing Common Core

... into the more rigorous territory of classical education.