Abolish all Public Education

[rhmorgan]

Abolish all Public Education.
Preschool through Post graduate studies should not be within the domain of government.
What do you think?

[A_Texian]

You betcha!

Just open it up to free enterprise, with the only input from the government being a carefully laid-out financing plan based entirely upon merit from the applicant private schools. It could still be a free (as in no tuition) public school system, but with much greater checks and balances on thier accreditation. It'd darned sure cut out the chaff in a big-time hurry.

I'd also make unionization illegal or at least make any union "demands" subject to causing disaccreditation if a mandated set of rules based upon public interest isn't met because of those demands.

Any of y'all teachers in here have a 2cents about this?

[Jemmy Ducks]

I think abolishing it would be a little drastic without having something to replace it with.

My kids have gone to Catholic school since our oldest son still couldn’t read in the second grade. He was reading within two weeks of starting parochial school.

I now have two in Jesuit colleges.

I think school vouchers and wresting state control from the teachers union would go a long way to fixing public schools. There also needs to be better public oversight with curriculum and textbook selection.

[Ptarmigan]

I think abolishing it would be a little drastic without having something to replace it with.

My kids have gone to Catholic school since our oldest son still couldn’t read in the second grade. He was reading within two weeks of starting parochial school.

I now have two in Jesuit colleges.

I think school vouchers and wresting state control from the teachers union would go a long way to fixing public schools. There also needs to be better public oversight with curriculum and textbook selection.

We should start with school vouchers.

[Rightwing Nutjob]

Hi, I'm new around here and thought I'd ask a couple of questions.

I think abolishing it would be a little drastic without having something to replace it with.

...

I think school vouchers and wresting state control from the teachers union would go a long way to fixing public schools. There also needs to be better public oversight with curriculum and textbook selection.

We should start with school vouchers.

If the definition of socialism is government ownership and control over the means of production, aren't these ideas just a lesser degree of socialism?

Does some degree of socialism have a place in our education system?

Is it too important a service to trust completely to a free market?

Or are these comments meant to support an incremental and more realistic move toward a free market system?

Respectfully,
Rightwing Nutjob

[Susanna]

Or are these comments meant to support an incremental and more realistic move toward a free market system?

I think that is what they mean. Tearing down a socialistic system overnight would make a real mess, and people would start to miss it. That is a lot of what is happening in the former Soviet Union right now.

A gradual breakdown of the Social Security system is what Bush is trying to start, but future presidents and legislatures will have to continue with that until retirement funds are totally privatized. Just as they will have to do with the school system. But I think breaking down the school system could go much faster than privatizing retirement; the "privatization" of schooling can start at any level, where us old folks who are already collecting our SS can't do it over.

[evilelvis]

I say... Investigate the NEA under the RICO statutes...

[A_Texian]

Of course I was speaking in theoretically ideal terms; an incremental approach would be a much wiser way to approach this. I agree with that as well. Susanna made the perfect analogy with respect to the way an instant change has affected the former Soviet Union. It just served to leave 'em in a state of confusion, without any idea about how to successfully implement thier newfound freedom.

But, there's still the rule-of-thumb that if left up to the Federal Gov't, it'd take, what, 375 years (give or take a century) to actually implement such an incremental change?

I'd suggest an outcry for such change, accompanied by serious accountability for implementing it, demanded at the same time. Kinda like in the same way the public is demanding border security now. The gov't will eventualy "get it", because we're all gonna MAKE 'EM get it!



.............and hey, WELCOME TO THE BOARD RWNJ! Glad to have ya aboard Pard!

[Elmira Viking]

My two older kids go to a great private, parentally run high school, Woodland Christian Highschool. The teachers are great and the school really cares for the kids.


My two younger kids go to a public grade school that encourages parental participation.

[smichellem]

I think most public schools encourage parental involvment. It's just that (depending on the area) there aren't involved parents. In one school most of the parents don't speak english...no involvement. In another school a lot of the parents are high on crack, so...no involvement. While yet another school has huge parental involvement, the PTA is staffed beyond capacity, and parents meet with the principle every friday for coffe, and discussion.


But, then there are the highschools in one area here where the parents are being lied to and the school is trying to have the kids not talk with their parents. Because that school is run by some glsen activist gays, and lesbians.

My kids have attended their first year in public school. I will admit it wasn't as bad as I thought. Still not great, but not as bad as I thought. I know that we were very blessed with great teachers for them. Anyway, the only reason we had a great experience is because we were able to choice enroll into a richer neighborhood. Yes, from the non english speaking school to the "PTA" school.


Our public school system is the absolute best example of Socialism gone awry. It had good intentions in the begining. But, as you all know the govermental power grubbers have sunk their hooks in, and it will be bery difficult to break free. But, it does have to be done. Our kids deserve better.



I am working hard to make sure that I can have both of my girls back in the private school by the time my older one is in middle school. I would turn to homeschool before allowing my kids to attend any middle school around here.
Other than following my daughter's teacher who is going to the new middle school next year, there are no choices around here when it comes to middle or high school. But, the new school is too far from our neighborhood.

I am concerned about vouchers. I am afraid that would only give the gov more room to tell us and the private schools how they should operate, and who they can-can't hire etc...