CHOICE AS A CURE FOR THE COMMON CORE

[Geee]

Human Events:

Suppose instead of making common cause with corporate titans and Washington technocrats to impose Common Core standards uniformly on education, philanthropist Bill Gates instead used his vast wealth to create his own brand of schools to compete in a vibrant educational marketplace.

 

Billions of dollars of Gates’ money sunk into such failed, inside-the-monopoly ventures as “small schools,” and, more recently, nationalized standards and tests could have gone instead toward creating the Gates Alternative. Although it’s true even the richest donor could not outspend the $600 billion public-school monopoly, Gates’ foundation (with net assets of $40.2 billion) could start with model schools and expand with demand.

 

In fact, given Gates’ high regard for the Khan Academy’s incredible rise as a free online resource begun on YouTube, the Gates Alternative could shun bricks-and-mortar schooling entirely and gain market share in cyberspace.

What might the Gates’ way be?