“Teacher: Why expanding ‘parental rights’ in public education sounds good — but isn’t”

Teacher: Why expanding ‘parental rights’ in public education sounds good — but isn’t appeared in The Washington Post, and offers an interesting take on the opt-out movement.

I think the piece exaggerates some of the dangers, and I still support the opt-out movement, but we do need to be careful of our rhetoric.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

If we rally mainstream America around parental rights as a cause, and advocate boycotts of the PARCC tests, I fear we are legitimizing the efforts of special interest groups who want to cherry-pick their way through the public education system. Will parents next be able to select which parts of science, or history, their children are allowed to learn? And will they then be able to opt out of sections of college entrance exams such as the SAT or ACT?

As we follow this slippery slope, some may try to opt out of having their children in class with gay students or teachers because of religious beliefs.

One thought on ““Teacher: Why expanding ‘parental rights’ in public education sounds good — but isn’t”

  1. Interesting, provocative piece, Larry–thanks for sharing. I recall learning in a college PoliSci class that America is the only nation in history founded on a core of “individual rights” without a corresponding foundation of “individual responsibilities,” and I think some of this is coming into play here. Parental involvement and engagement in their children’s education are certainly crucial, but as with anything, things can get taken to extremes.

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