Why is school choice not a Democratic issue?

[Ms. Toad]

128. Leaving aside the not insignificant problems with charter schools.

Even when the option to attend charter schools using public money is done by lottery, those with more resources (i.e. already ahead) are the ones who can take advantage of it.

Resources like: the ability to understand the lottery system and enter it, the ability to accommodate the expanded hours it takes to attend a more distant school - including potentially the ability to drive your child to and from the school in order to accommodate after school/after bus activities, the money to buy school uniforms (that many require), the time to engage in often mandatory parent participation activities, etc.

Equality in admission is not inherently equality in ability to take advantage of the opportunity that admission affords. The closest we can get to providing equal access is to concentrate on providing quality neighborhood schools - where no one has to be able to afford the additional resources it requires to participate in a charter/specialized school.

You would move heaven and earth - but I'd hazard a guess that you likely have the resources (intellectual/financial/etc.) to do so. Many of the parents of the most needy chilcren do not.