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Rabecca Cisneros: Finding our place in Utah’s public schools - charter and district

Students should have a choice to find the school that is best for them.

Public education is a beautiful concept, one I am proud to be associated with as a student, a parent and an educator. When I was a child, my parents only choice was the neighborhood school, as they could not afford private or homeschool, and charter schools did not yet exist. And so, they did as most parents did, they enrolled me in the school we were assigned.

The schools I attended did the job required, as I am a gainfully employed, contributing member of society. However, early on in my role as parent to school-aged children, and as a new educator, it became evident that there were as many ways to skin the education cat as there were cats. Gratefully, there were choices for me beyond the neighborhood, private or homeschool options – there were public charter schools.

Over the past two decades, my family has chosen traditional district and various public charters for both work and schooling. The choice initially was based on what I, as a professional educator, valued for my family and for the students I taught. A public charter school which shared the same philosophy of education as I do was located near my home and for several years we attended this school as a family.

As my children grew, we included them in the choice and based our selection on what each of them needed academically and socially to reach their potential. For one child that was an online, district-based school. For another, a small charter high school with ample extracurricular options was best. The children still at home are each attending different high schools: a small competency-based high school for one and the large traditional district high school for the other. I now have the privilege of working at one of the best high schools in the nation, Itineris Charter High School.

As a concurrent enrollment instructor and administrator, I see firsthand how students of all backgrounds and circumstances are changing the trajectory of their futures by accessing college early and affordably and by learning how to be a college student – knowing the terminology, expectations and process of higher education – in a safe and supportive environment. Many of our students are first generation college students and some are first-generation high school graduates.

Having options has allowed my family, and families like mine, to find the place where we are empowered and successful – much the way families choose post-secondary options and eventually careers. One of my adult children is learning a trade while working, conversely the other is attending a large university in a major metropolitan city. I cannot wait to see what my remaining two children pursue, as they continue to learn about themselves and their place in the world.

At this point insert any analogy you like about choice (shoes fitting, one size, or square pegs) because they are all true. What makes our post-secondary experience one of the best in the world is the simple fact that consumers are free to choose the type, focus and educational model that meets their philosophy and goals. Yet for our K-12 system, this historically has not been the case. And in some locations, it is still the case – choice in public education simply does not exist for some families.

Although the traditional experience, in many cases, meets student’s needs, for many others, like with my children, the traditional model is not the only place to find success. We found success by having choice in fit, type and focus for the abilities and goals of each member of my family, as students and teachers. But all children deserve the right to be able to find the public education experience which meets their needs.

As a parent and educator, I am grateful that charter schools are one of my choices.

Rabecca Cisneros

Rabecca Cisneros is director of operations and human resources at Itineris Early College High School, West Jordan.