Conservative spotlight: Howard Fuller

Human Events, Feb 19, 2001 by D'Agostino, Joseph A

Institute for the Transformation of Learning

Prof. Howard Fuller, founder of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning MTI. ) at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., likes to say that school choice is not a new or untried concept, but rather one that has been available to parents for a long time-except to those who are low-income. "I have great respect.for the public schools in this country and in this city," Fuller told HUMAN EVENTS. "I do think that if you're the only game in town, it does affect the choices you're going to make. In America, if you don't have a chance to exit, your voice is diminished."

"The words `school choice' often have different and even contradictory meanings," says rM. "For example, in the politically charged world of education policy, school choice programs often are labeled as `new,' `experimental" `controversial,' or 'untested.' Yet, at-the same time, most American parents take school choice for granted."

So rM works to expand school choice, or "more educational options for parents," -as its literature often puts it, to everybody. "I used to be the superintendent of the Milwaukee public schools," Fuller said. "My background is as a community activist-and I happened to have a Ph.D. I'm not really a traditional academic."

Fuller founded TL in 1995 to pursue his activist goals through research and education. "The institute's focus is on improving academic achievement in urban America through expanded educational options. It is supported by a wide range of foundations and individuals," says the group. Milwaukee has had a school choice program for a decade now, and Fuller said that local parents are very pleased with it Says IL's website, "Education Week, assessing the impact of school choice in Milwaukee, said the program there has deeply involved long-alienated parents in their children's schooling . . a powerful retort to educators who have long suggested that parents burdened by social and economic problems could devote but minimal attention to educational issues."

TTL also collects data on America's other two school choice programs, in Cleveland and Florida. "Nearly 200 private schools in Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Florida participate in their local school choice program and, if space is available, are required to accept any eligible voucher student who applies," the institute points out.

Said Fuller, "The election of President Bush has heightened the discussion of expanding parental options." Like Bush himself, ITL tries to avoid the term "vouchers," which has been given a negative connotation by the education and Democratic establishments. These defenders of vouchers believe the terms "school choice" and "educational options" are much harder for foes to demonize.

Fuller is not overly worried that vouchers will be dropped from Bush's educational plan. "I'm not that concerned about it because I don't think it's going to come from the federal level anyway," he said. "Nevertheless, it will be helpful not to have a President who says we will have parental choice over his dead body."

In addition to research and activism on school choice, said Fuller, "we have set up seven technology-based learning centers for children." ITL has resources for local. people who want to establish charter schools, a movement that has swept from state to state in recent years. Its School Design and Development Center wants "to make Milwaukee's charter, sectarian and non-sectarian private schools unqualified successes. It provides comprehensive services for designing and developing these schools, which serve low-income families. Our vision is to become Milwaukee's most effective resource for creating and sustaining new schools and for transforming existing schools into places and processes of academic excellence."

"The public school system works well for a lot of kids, especially in suburban areas," said Fuller. "The kids who are affected [by bad schools] are not the kids America cares about. The poor black and Hispanic kids do not have parents who are politically connected. In this country, if you don't have economic power..... Fuller. calls himself "a single-issue person" and says that ITL and the people involved with it are not necessarily conservative. "Even though I supported George Bush for my own personal reasons," he said, "I'm not a Republican." Fuller said that he believes that the "grassroots pressure" being applied by groups such as the affiliated Black Alliance for Educational Options (see "Conservative Spotlight" last week) will force black politicians to adopt a pro-school choice posture. "There has always been strong support in the base, but that has not translated into the politicians' positions."

"I wish I knew," Fuller replied when asked how America's schools have deteriorated to this point. "But for whatever reason we allowed it to happen, we cannot allow it to continue."

ITL can be reached at Marquette University, P 0. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881 (414-2885775; fax: 414-288-6199; e-mail: debbie@parentchoice.org; website: www.schoolchoiceinfo.org).