Separation of School and State
I'm all for it, but I doubt it will ever happen. Too many Americans are unwilling to be independent of Big Government and its services, even if those services are often of a poor quality.
For an example of your efficient government schools at work, see this post by Ugly Naked Guy. The UNG is a teacher working hard to make a positive difference in a public school, but the school bureaucracy sure doesn't make it easy for him.
I'm sure he could tell countless similar stories, and as a parent who has past experience with the public school system, I could tell more than a few such stories myself.
posted by Laura @ 3:28 PM
3 Comments:
What do you think about the school voucher program ? I know you home school your children, but does that seem like a plausible alternative? My oldest will start school shortly and these things are "on the front burner" for us right now.
Hi Wolf,
I am in favor of vouchers, as at least they give some control back to parents...however, I find half measures such as described in the link you sent frustrating, insofar as only giving the vouchers to parents in "low performing" schools. *All* parents deserve choice, rather than having their "education" funds confiscated by the state and being ordered to attend a particular public school if they are going to use the public school system. Vouchers for low-performing schools are just a first step.
I have had experience with both public and private schools, and my experience is that the public schools treated us as though we were working for them -- despite the fact that we are their "customers" paying for their services with tax dollars -- while the private schools treated us as though they were working for us. The private school also delivered their services for a lot less money compared to the state's per-pupil spending.
We are looking at the possibility of public high school for our oldest son this fall -- we've been through it once before as our oldest daughter is the only one of our children who was never homeschooled. As with anything, there are pros and cons. (Some of the pros include advanced math instruction, but whether it's any good is entirely dependent on the teacher; some at the local H.S. are great, some are terrible...it can be a real Catch-22.) I would much rather have vouchers and have a choice of where to send him! (I will be continuing to homeschool the two younger children...)
One of Rudy's pluses is that he is strongly pro-school choice...I believe Thompson also has a good record on this.
Good luck with your education decisions!!
Best wishes,
Laura
Nothing is gained, everything is lost, by subordinating principle to expediency.
William Lloyd Garrison
American newspaper editor and abolitionist
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