Does the Education Fit?

Thankfully, every child in America today has an opportunity to go to school. We could describe this opportunity with a pair of shoes. Shoes help people to go places, and education does the same thing.

If an education opportunity is like a pair of shoes, then every child in Nebraska has at least one pair of shoes in his or her closet. Most low-income and middle-income children have only one pair of shoes in their closets: public education. Fortunately, these shoes fit most kids. They’re able to put them on, feel comfortable, and get where they want to go.

But what if this one pair of shoes doesn’t fit very well? Or what if the one pair of shoes in the closet isn’t appropriate for the places the student wants to go?

Wealthy children in Nebraska have several pairs of shoes in their closets, represented by multiple education opportunities. Since their parents can afford other options (private school, homeschool, online courses, etc.), it’s much more likely that they’ll be able to find a pair of shoes that fits well.
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LB295 puts more pairs of shoes in the closets of low- and middle-income children. One educator recently criticized LB295 by suggesting that it wouldn’t put all options within reach. For example, she said, perhaps what the student really wants is to go to Creighton Prep, but it’s too far for his parents to drive. This is like arguing that if a child can’t have a closetful of shoes, he should only have one pair. It’s hard to conceive of a situation in which people would rather have no choices at all than to have 2 or 3 options at their disposal.

In most of the country, all children (wealthy to poverty-stricken) have several pairs of shoes in their closets. In some places, kids have dozens of pairs to choose from between public schools, private schools, charter schools, and online schools). Yet here in Nebraska, the education establishment is still insisting that everyone wear the same pair, whether it fits or not.
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They should rest assured that even if parents are given more pairs to choose from, most kids will still happily put on their pair of public school shoes and be confident that it will take them where they want to go. For those whose toes are squished or who need a different style, though, it’s time to offer a few more pairs. It’s time to recognize the diverse needs and dreams of Nebraska’s students. Let’s give all of them, not just the wealthy ones, a chance to run.