New Orleans “Parental Choice” and the Walton-funded OneApp
A common cry of corporate reformers involves their oft-professed desire to “give parents a choice.” It sounds so noble, so altruistic. In reality, corporate reformer “choice” is a daunting, messy, confining process absent the sparkle and shine of the ultra-brite ideology advocated by well-dressed, young non-educators posing as student advocates.
I feel the need to apologize in advance for what my audience will experience in reading this post. This post is long. It is tedious. It is confusing. It is exhausting.
Just like the New Orleans version of parent choice.
In New Orleans, both RSD and OPSB direct-run schools are now “open enrollment,” which means that their enrollment is no longer based upon students residing in a given area and automatically attending a community school. Thus, the “parental choice” of selecting a school by moving to the neighborhood is moot. That choice exists no more. Now, parents must apply to the schools they would have their children attend– even if they live right next to the school.
Convenient, huh?
Ahh, school choice is anything but convenient. It now involves a detailed application