The debate over school vouchers that dominated Utah politics for 8 months did not die completely when state legislators rejected the bill that would have allowed parents to receive monetary vouchers to send their children to private schools.

Despite the bill's defeat last November, parents and students in Utah have continued to think about the implications of school choice-public schooling vs. private schooling vs. home schooling. For many BYU students, who come to college with a variety of schooling backgrounds, educational success is more about attitude toward learning than where learning takes place.

Matthew Tashjian has been receiving his education at private schools since the 1st grade-a Christian school through 6th grade, Flintridge Preparatory through 12th and now BYU.

Although the highly qualified teachers he had and the college preparation course he took played a part in making him feel ready for college, Tashjian said it was his attitude that had more of an affect that the resources his school had to offer.

"Private schools have a more serious atmosphere," Tashjian said. "Your parents are paying for you to go there, so you take it more seriously."

When Thomas Gosney jumped into advanced math classes in his public high school after learning trigonometry at home, felt behind.

The independent study course he completed as a prerequisite for regular public high school calculus classes did not require him to learn how to use a graphing calculator, a skill he needed to be successful.

Despite this setback, Gosney was able to complete his graduation requirements almost a whole year early by continuing to supplement home schooling with regular public school classes.

"I don't think home schooling necessarily prepares you or hurts you in any way," Gosney said. "It depends on how hard you work."

Junior Aubrey Crockett's experience with the private school she attended from 4th to 8th grade was overwhelmingly positive. The small class sizes allowed students to learn at their own pace and develop close relationships with teachers. She was able to gain confidence and discover talents and interests. Although she found personal success in private education, Crockett maintains that educational success depends most heavily on attitude.

"I know people who hated private school and did better in public school," Crockett said. "The important thing is to make the choice to learn, wherever you may be."

Sarah Morley, mathematics major at BYU, went to public school for most of her pre-college education, but spent her 7th and 8th grade years learning at home with the help of her mother. She said that during that time she was able to get ahead in math, but her reading and writing skills suffered some.

"Overall, I kept up fine," Morley said. "You can go faster with home schooling, but you have to be more dedicated. It really depends on the person."

McKay School of Education faculty member, Vance Randall, is an expert on school choice issues, contributing to understanding on local, state and national levels.

"To me the important thing is what the best education for the child is," Randall said in a BYU Communications press release. "Some schools work best for some children; other schools work best for others. Let's not get hung up on the particular learning system of education-let's find out what is going to work best for the children."

What was best for Tashjian was not best for his sister, who left Flintridge Preparatory to go to a public school. The competitive atmosphere Tashjian thrived in was a bad fit for his sister-a situation that confirms the complexity of the school choice issue.

"Everybody's different," Tashjian said. "It all depends."

sjstrong@byu.net

Copyright Brigham Young University 7 May 2008