Sara at the Quick and the Ed expands the blog discussion about public officials sending their children to public schools, writing,

Something feels terribly insensitive when the person arguing that children from poor families must be forced to remain in crummy public schools, because allowing them to leave would hurt the public school system, is someone who has no similar compunctions about removing their own children from the same system.

The discussion put me in mind of the mom in The Color of Water (great book if you haven't read it) and the lengths she went to to get her children into high-quality public schools.  I also know from teaching in a Catholic school that some families of modest means make financial sacrifices so that their children can attend a school of their choice.  All of which is to say that it is worth remembering that lower income families often can figure out ways to make choices within the constraints of the current system.  Does that mean that I think children should be stuck in "crummy schools" unless their parents are crafty enough to get them out?  Of course not--but some choice does exist, including public school choice, in many communities.

I also must disagree with Sara's sense that this discussion amounts to using children as "debating props."  I mean, in a perfect world, wouldn't we all agree that the one of the best strategies for improving schools is for engaged parents to come together and decide to actively support their neighborhood public school, working with the staff to make it a wonderful teaching and learning environment?

To me, the key is getting that critical mass of parents together to make it happen.  I am watching this happen in my community, a close-in suburb to DC with a lot of variability in the quality of the public schools.  In a neighborhood where many parents have tended to send their children to private schools, some are now giving the neighborhood public school a chance.  If it works, it will be to the betterment of the school, and the benefits will extend to children from all family backgrounds within the community.  Here's hoping it works!