PLANK THREE:
THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

"The reason school choice succeeds is no mystery: it gives power to the people who have the most at stake-parents."

JOHN O. NORQUIST
37TH MAYOR OF MILWAUKEE

The following words describe the culture of the United States: freedom, diversity, democracy, free markets and equality before the law. Without these qualities, our country would lack the cultural environment that makes possible what we take for granted: a society that constantly strives for excellence and to provide opportunity for all.

The ability of citizens to choose what is best for their lives is central to the founding of our country and to the exercise of freedom. Our Constitution recognizes and protects our right to choose what we say, how we say it, where we meet, what we believe and the thousand other ways Americans express their freedom.

We choose our elected representatives in Congress. We even have the right to bear arms and choose not to quarter troops in our homes. The freedom to choose is also central to our free market economy, and to the principles of supply and demand. The benefits of competition apply to the non-profit sector as well. In the for-profit world, a key measure of success or failure is often how much profit was made that quarter. In the case of the public school system, where profit is not a motive, maximizing student learning should be used as the primary goal of people working in our schools.

As consumers, we can pick and choose based on any number of criteria that are important to us. We can choose based on price, style, availability, quality, quantity, responsiveness, customer service, brand name, location, or any other quality of value to us.

Yet when it comes to one of the most important decisions affecting the future of our children, their education, parental choice is