By way of Cato@Liberty, I found this excellent article by Arianna Huffington in favor of parental choice in education. Before you follow that link and read the whole thing, as you should, first ponder this thought about what defines public education:

And maybe instead of calling for an exorcist any time the words “competition,” “choice” or “freedom” are used in connection to education, we can start singing hosannas for an idea that preserves what is truly public in public education — the government, i.e. the public, paying for it — while allowing creativity, innovation and parental empowerment to flourish.

We can agree to support education for all without settling for a monolithic school system run by the state.

I don’t often find myself in the same political camp as Arianna Huffington, but I’m glad that “competition” and “choice” are words we can both apply to education without qualms. Feel free to sing hosannas in the comments (or to summon an exorcist, if hearing those words still prompts you to do that).