Apparently, the new buzz word in education is customization.
Jeb Bush used it the other day. So did state Sen. John Legg, who was the education committee chairman the past two years. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio wrote about customization, and so did Patricia Levesque, CEO of Foundation for Excellence in Education.
It is part of a philosophy that says parents should be calling the shots when it comes to the education of their children. That means more charters and more voucher money. It means home-schooling and virtual schools. Essentially, it means parents know best.
So here’s my question:
What about customization in traditional public schools?
If parents have concerns about Common Core-inspired standards, shouldn’t they be able to request an alternative curriculum? If parents feel their children are not ready for cookie-cutter standardized tests, shouldn’t they be able to opt out? The short answer:
No.
Florida legislators — as well as Bush and the Foundation for Excellence group he inspired — are so zealously devoted to testing and teacher accountability that parents and local school districts are given virtually no leeway in those matters.
