Now if this can just be replicated in more places, we may get a better school system. I'd bet though, that the teacher's union is the greatest opponent to this type of thing.

The teachers unions hate school choice. They managed to kill the program in DC even though parents were really happy with the results.

Teachers unions hate segregated schools.

"School choice" is just the latest mask the right spin doctors have cooked up to dress up school segregation in.

It's mostly minorities demanding, and benefiting from School Choice. If it's segregation, it has a funny way of showing it.

Any reform involving private schools in the US needs to be wary of its effect on ideological and cultural divides. We already prefer to live near like-minded people, it's not a stretch to assume we'd send our kids to like-minded schools.

To be more specific, we don't want our school system to become a proxy for culture wars - individual schools marketing themselves to parents as a place which builds proper (liberals|conservatives|tea partiers|greens|etc).

No matter what shape reform takes, society needs to make sure its people get a well rounded education.

If anyone wants to discuss startup ideas around schools and school choice please let me know.

That's not a silver lining. That's textbook "Shock Doctrine" straight out of Naomi Klein's book.

Run over all resistance to right wing extremist ideas when the citizens are still reeling from a disaster and are too stunned about a child being dead or their house being gone to be thinking about advancing political agendas.

http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine