Conservatives are rightly convinced that private sector initiative is the key ingredient to almost every major improvement, be it economical, cultural, etc.\u00a0 But before individuals can make big changes, they must be legally allowed to do so.<\/p>\n
Thanks to Education Secretary Arne Duncan\u2019s Race to the Top<\/em> program, states like California opened up their public school districts to more parent involvement.\u00a0 (These kinds of reforms are necessary to qualify for Race to the Top<\/em> funding.)<\/p>\n According to Parent Revolution<\/a>, a Los Angeles-based organization helping parents maximize their rights under the law,<\/p>\n The Parent Trigger is a historic new law that gives parents in California the right to force a transformation of their child\u2019s current or future failing school. All parents need to do is organize \u2013 if 51% of them get together and sign an official Parent Trigger petition, they have the power to force their school district to transform the school.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If successful, parents have five options:<\/p>\n 1) Charter conversion:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If there is a nearby charter school that is outperforming your child\u2019s failing school, parents can bring in that charter school to transform the failing school. The school will then be run by that charter school, not the school district, but it will continue to serve all the same students that have always attended the school.<\/p>\n 2) Turnaround:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If parents want huge changes but want to leave the school district in charge, this option may be for them. It forces the school district to hit the reset button by bringing in a new staff and giving the local school community more control over staffing and budget.<\/p>\n 3) Transformation: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This is the least significant change. It force the school district to find a new principal, and make a few other small changes.<\/p>\n 4) Closure:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n This option would close the school altogether and send the students to other, higher-performing schools nearby.\u00a0 Parent Revolution does NOT recommend this option to parents \u2013 we believe schools must be transformed, not closed.<\/p>\n 5) Bargaining power:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If parents want smaller changes but the school district just won\u2019t listen to them, they can organize, get to 51%, and use their signatures as bargaining power.<\/p>\n Parents get to pick which option they want for their children and their school. For a much more detailed overview of each one of these options, please click here<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n All public policy needs to do is create space for private initiative to occur.\u00a0 Once it does, the ingenuity of the American people will make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n