Teacher freedom needs to be constrained by pressure for performance, and school autonomy needs to be limited by publicly enforced rules on fair admissions. As the next chapter wiD show, no reform plan is self-executing. Community leaders must monitor the short-term results of reform initiatives to make sure they are having the effects expected and are not being trivialized or distorted. Use of the slippery slope argument is a political tactic for people who may wish schools would improve but fear any change in the status quo. The essential job of community leaders, whether elected or appointed, is to make distinctions between beneficial and harmful actions.
Courts exist to enforce principles of fairness and political equality.
This chapter has drawn readers through the deepest and most emo- tional conflicts about public education. Its purpose is not to frighten but to demythologize. These conflicts are serious, but many of them are more ideological and theoretical than real. There is no reason why local lead- ers searching for ideas about reform should shy away from family choice, school competition, or novel ideas about improving the teaching force. Similarly, leaders do not have to search for the one best instructional method or set of standards to guide instruction.