KET show provides an example why parents need real school choice

KET had special “Forum” show on Monday, August 28, 2023 about “Early Literacy.” It dealt with an important problem in Kentucky – improving the state’s disappointing level of student literacy.

To be sure, with Grade 4 reading proficiency trends like these on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Reading, something better is clearly needed.

Reading proficiency rates for Kentucky’s white students in 2022 are not statistically significantly different from that way back in 1998.

Even worse, Kentucky’s Black students’ 2022 score is not statistically significantly different from the 1992 performance.

And, the percentages scoring proficient or more are dismally low, as well (and NAEP’s Proficient Score is important despite what some naysayers claim).

At the other end of the performance spectrum, 2022 Grade 4 NAEP Reading results show about half of Kentucky’s Hispanic students scored in the very lowest performance level, Below Basic. For the state’s Black 4th graders, the corresponding lowest performance level percentage was 58%.

That’s a tragedy.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is hope even for students with serious challenges like dyslexia. Regarding this, the KET show started out on an interesting note, starting about 3 minutes and 24 seconds into the web archive of the broadcast to tell the story of the Jones family, who have a daughter with dyslexia.

Getting help for a child with dyslexia can be a challenge. Dyslexia is a problem some reading teachers around the country don’t even think exists (It does, however). This can make it hard to get it identified that a child has the problem.

Certainly, the Jones family’s story indicates such challenges are real.

Only after specific testing during their daughter’s first grade year did the Joneses find out that she had this problem, which the public schools in Jefferson County were not handling well.

Thanks to economic ability, the Jones family was able to enroll the girl in the DePaul School, a private school in their area that specializes in students with unique learning problems.

The parents reported to KET that the young lady is now much happier and more successful in school. And, “She can read.”

Bottom Line: School choice can be crucial for a child’s development.

But, what about less affluent parents? Can they afford DePaul, whose web site lists tuition levels ranging from $4,750 to $20,183? Right now, it’s a good bet many families in the Louisville area would be hard-pressed to come up with such amounts.

So, at present, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has school choice, but only for its wealthier citizens. A poor child with a learning issue like dyslexia can be in real trouble, and without choices, with this system.

Fortunately, the Kentucky legislature is working to fix this seriously wrong situation, promising action in the 2024 General Assembly to address a constitutional issue that seems (thanks to a liberal Kentucky Supreme Court) to be limiting the ability of parents, regardless of income level, to access better educational programs for their children.

We are pleased the Jones family got a better deal for their child, but we think all parents should have similar education opportunities. Maybe, if the proposed constitutional amendment goes through next year, Kentucky will join other more progressive states like Florida which have had such policies for many years.

Kentucky’s children deserve no less.

TECH NOTE: All the NAEP data were extracted from the NAEP Data Explorer.