<p>
Yes, NCLB has made everyone’s school bad.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, and the blood pressure meter has made everyone sick.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That is true. A lot of money is spent on education in certain counties in New Jersey (in some counties up to 4 times more per student), but the results for the students are ranked at the bottom for the whole state. These schools have good teachers, good labs, the best of everything, but they still perform worse than some of the schools in the other counties that spend much less money.</p>
<p>I believe parents should be more involved with their kids education.</p>
<p>Xiggi, what are your opinions on vouchers?</p>
<p>
I am a product of such and education from the 60’s to the early 70’s, until the 9th grade. I attended 8 different schools in 6 different communitites and I don’t think my elementary- jr high education was especially good at all. There were routinely more than 30 kids in each classroom and I either had big gaps in my learning from changing schools or was taught the same thing multiple times. There also were no gifted or special ed programs. There was very little art, music and physical education.
I have never heard that superior officers got copies of report cards.</p>
<p>My own kids were educated in the same school district for 12 years and I am happy I was able to give them this “gift”. There are some good public school districts - I suppose trashing ALL public schools is a way for parents who endure the high cost of private schools to justify that.</p>
<p>Perhaps it is time to give “unschooling” a look. Also, known as “natural learning”, “experience-based learning”, or “independent learning.”</p>
<p>Horace Mann revolutionized schooling in his day. Perhaps it is time for another revolution.</p>
<p>The unschooling revolutions is alive and well but the implementation is usually homeschooling. I know of very few schools that use that approach. Maybe Sudbury Valley.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>School vouchers represent steps in the right direction, but only a small steppingstone towards complete School Choice. The same cannot be said about charter schools.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why would good public schools districts be so … special? After all, they cosndume more direct and indirect resources that the much maligned private schools. </p>
<p>Good public schools should have NO problem competing with the competing systems. Since we does OUR country believe in the great attributes of monopolies and lack of competition? </p>
<p>Do people really need an excuse or a justification to “trash” goevrnmental schools aka public schools?</p>
<p>
except that private schools can pick and choose. Public schools must take what is presented to them</p>
<p>who is maligning private schools? Why must private schools all be considered excellent and public schools be all bad?
In our area at least public schools provide a lot of services to private school kids - services they otherwise would not get.
Our homeschooled kids come to our public schools to compete on our athletic teams and join clubs. They coexist.</p>
<p>xiggi - I like you but your elitism is showing. I think you envision a scenario where there are no public schools - but then there would be bad private schools who cater to the bottom of the barrel (financially speaking).
Public schools are a great equalizer. There is opportunity for all regardless of family economic situation.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>JustAMomOf4, while the format of a discussion board does not allow for the expression of fully developed theories, allow me to state that my perspective is hardly guided by elitism. In fact, the private schools that fall in the small and narrow niche of elite private schools are as interested in the status quo as you might be as a defender of public schools. Elite private schools do not need more paying custormers and are pricing themselves in a manner to ensure their profitability by offering an exclusive service. However, the world of students who are not attending a public school is a lot more varied than a qualifier of “elite” would indicate. The majority of the private schools in this country operate with budgets that would make government school officials laugh (or cry) and in locations that are fast becoming war zones. For instance, I sincerely doubt that the typical Catholic schools in this country are supposed to be compared to glorified country clubs. </p>
<p>As far as a system, I do not envision a system of private schools only. Not in the least! Actually I believe that ALL schools should remain what they are and that is PUBLIC schools. Education is indeed a public matter and it is a service that should be funded by the government. However, there are **no **valid reasons why the government should not only fund the schools but also have to … operate them. Public education should not be a monopoly that excludes non-governmental schools. </p>
<p>Countries that had the insight of incorporating the protecton of school freedom and freedom of school choice in their constitution are now enjoying systems where government and private school all belong in the same system of public education. Of course, such countries were not spared the (often vicious) attacks of rabid liberals any less than in the United States. It is however much harder to undo rights protected by a constitution than simply seizing them. </p>
<p>As far as the demise of what is called public schools in the United States, do we really believe that we would EVER go to a system that reduces their role below 60%, 50%, 40%, let alone all but vanish? The scenarios of doom and gloom are simply blatant distortion of the possible “attacks” of the marketplace. There is a world of difference between allowing a voucher plan inspired by Milwaukee or San Antonio to expand in more cities and states and allowing for performing schools to vanish altogether. </p>
<p>The changes that people would like to see are hardly the matter of elitism. What we are talking about is to see adequate funding flowing to schools such as Cristo Rey and other amazing schools that have provided education in the most impoverished parts of our country for centuries. If you are worried about the eradication of a school system, please take a look at the Catholic schools and evaluate the potential role they could play in educating our growing and poorly served immigrants if they were to receive a FRACTION of the budgets spent at government schools. Considering the saving to the public coffers that have resulted from the FREE (to the publci system) education provided by religious schools.</p>
<p>This development is hardly about Andover or Harvard-Westlake. And it surely not about performance and needs!</p>
<p>Singapore is a good example of publically financed schools, both public and private.</p>
<p>
Wrong, wrong, WRONG. There are many significant genetic differences, not to mention kids born with birth complictions, etc.. Every child does NOT start out with the same potential as every other. It is a combination of “nature” and “nurture” . This is not new news.</p>
<p>it’s true. Read The World is Flat written by Thomas Friedman. India and China are catching up!</p>
<p>Jym, I really think that you are mistaken. On average ppl are born with the same capacity for learning, and intelligence is actually the number of neuron connections one makes during important stages of development (toddler, puberty) and so that the more education one takes in during those stages actually determines their intelligence.</p>