'A voice' through school choice

Giving parents more choices about their children's education invariably gives teachers more help from their students' mothers and fathers. A new school-choice opportunity for West Ashley families with students from the sixth through eighth grades seems bound to enhance such parental involvement — and the learning process.

As reported in The Post and Courier last week, the West Ashley constituent school board unanimously approved the plan, offered by the Charleston County School District, to provide the option of enrollment at either West Ashley or St. Andrew's Middle School. Patricia Yandle, the district's associate superintendent over middle schools, told our reporter: "Schools can only be enhanced when students and parents are where they want to be and they have a voice. We just want to give people a choice."

Such choices can come in many forms, including magnet and charter schools. District Superintendent Nancy McGinley aims to create more magnet schools that draw students from around the county to programs that particularly suit them.

In this case, the attractions are the communication/technology focus of West Ashley Middle, which also will have a voluntary extended school day with tutoring, and the math focus of St. Andrew's Middle, which also will offer single-gender classes in such core courses as science and English. This initiative is expected to cost roughly $29,000 for bus service outside standard attendance zones.

The other middle school west of the Ashley, C.E. Williams, already is a magnet school with a separate admissions process that includes a lottery.

This creative approach to boosting parental interest — and academic achievement — is an encouraging sign that educators are increasingly catching on to the benefits of school choice.