Why It Matters That Some School Choice Opponents Send Their Children to Private Schools

Criticizing school choice opponents when they send their own children to private schools is not an ad hominem attack as I’ve seen some people argue.

“Actions speak louder than words.” That someone sends their own children to a private school rather than a public school is evidence that they believe that private school is, or at least can be, the better option for some students. The view that private schools can be better for some students should lead a person to favor giving parents the option of a private school because that school might be better for their children. So the objection is not to the school choice opponent’s personal character but rather to the apparent inconsistency in their positions—defending public schools on the grounds that they’re better for children while at the same time recognizing that this often isn’t the case.

The school choice opponent might grant that, as things stand, private schools often are better than public schools, which is why we need to focus on fixing public schools. However, I’m not convinced that this is a good reason to effectively trap students in underperforming public schools *before* they get fixed.