What’s the Buzz in Education?

With the 2012-13 school year well under way across the country, it seems that everyone—from Hollywood with the new hit movie Won’t Back Down to President Obama and Governor Romney in the race for the White House—is talking education reform.

So the Schools of Thought blog over at CNN summed up what people are saying about education reform.  So what are the top buzzwords in education reform?  Well the list would not be complete without educational options:

School choice – The different educational options available to parents and students and the extent to which they can take advantage of these options.  School choice is not a new term, but one that will continue to drive the education conversation this school year, especially around election time. It’s a concept that is politically popular, though some opponents question the fairness of vouchers and some point out mixed reviews on charter schools and student achievement.  For most students, their school is determined by their address.  School choice advocates prefer that parents, not ZIP codes, determine what school their children will attend. Among the current educational options available in different districts are magnet schools, charter schools, private schools (with vouchers in some places), open enrollment (where students can attend any school within a district) and homeschooling.  As a result of school choice legislation in some states, some parents are enrolling their children in online classes, while others are opting for “blended learning” – a combination of online and classroom instruction.

We’re glad to see school choice make the five buzzwords along with common core standards, flipped classes, gamification, and massive open online course.  But we’d like to point out the research that shows that vouchers not only help disadvantaged children, but have strong educational attainment rates.

- American Federation for Children | Alliance for School Choice, MSG