Anthropologist Margaret Mead had this to say about the power of citizen activism: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” If grassroots support for North Carolina’s nascent school-choice movement is any indication, we are in for an education revolution!
This past Tuesday, Parents for Educational Freedom (PEFNC) hosted their first public school-choice rally. Since its inception in July, 2005, PEFNC has labored behind the scenes to expand educational options in our state. Clearly, many North Carolinians share the vision: more than 1,000 people packed a school gymnasium to support choice, tripling PEFNC’s attendance expectations. Attendees transcended political affiliation, gender, and race to agree on the merits of one simple, transformational idea: All parents should have the opportunity to choose the best education provider for their child.
Dr. Howard Fuller, former Superintendent for the Milwaukee Public Schools and founder of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) gave the keynote address and electrified the audience by “being real.” He spoke convincingly of the political struggles that inevitably accompany any move to wrest money and control away from a government agency in order to give it to parents. Dr. Fuller cautioned that we must resolve to fight and not give up: “The real hurdle is the lack of political will to do what must be done for other people’s children. Every day I see children suffer because we don’t have the political will to change the institutions that continue to not serve them well.”
Three other North Carolinians provided testimonials in support of choice at PEFNC’s rally. The first, a young female graduate of a Durham private school, spoke about her mother’s fight for choice. Recognizing her daughter’s unfulfilled academic potential, this mother relentlessly pursued and obtained a tuition scholarship to a rigorous Durham private school. Next, a mother of three highlighted the failings of our current “one-size-fits-all” government education paradigm, even within the same family: While two of her children fared well at their assigned government schools, a third child needed (and received) the services of a private school. The mother and father of a special needs five-year-old rounded out the testimonial time. This couple voiced frustration with a government system that failed to provide educators who could effectively communicate with their child, yet did not allow them to utilize a private provider specializing in their child’s disability.
Clearly, our government system is ripe for revolution. Across the country and in our own state, choice is on the move. As activists, we will not stop until North Carolina joins Florida, Utah, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C., in allowing parents to have a choice in their child’s education. Join our already-sizeable band of thoughtful, committed citizens. Who knows? We just might change the world.