Comments on: Time to Outsource Education

By: Steve Vinson

Steve Vinson — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 20:41:30 +0000

Bravo Abdul. Nice post.
The evidence is clear - when parents choose their kids’ school, the kids win.
The underlying principle is undeniable - parents should be allowed to spend their education dollars on their own kids and at the school of their choice.
Reform the broken education system - an idea whose time has come.

By: Kenn Gividen

Kenn Gividen — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:51:36 +0000

Giving up on “public” (read, “governemnt”) education is the solution.

It hasn’t worked efficiently in the past.
It doesn’t work efficiently now.
It won’t work efficiently in the future.

http://www.kenngividen.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:25:21 +0000

There is no good reason at all for government to have anything at all to do with schools. The premise that there is is also the beginning point of unwisdom.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:52:13 +0000

When you eliminate social promotions and measure a graduation rate in four years, you can expect the results you are getting. I recall that the college graduation rates are calculated using five or six years.

Private schools do not accept every student. Public schools work with kids that often don’t try and are not supported at home.

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:27:10 +0000

Some concerns with the whole matter of education include (this coming from a retired teacher and being past 65 years of age): The drop out rate–one, numbers have been greatly inflated for last several years and in part due the great pressure on the system to produce high numbers; remembering back when category of “when I was in school”–check the figures in that the drop out rate was even higher not that many years in the past–reality check time: check the figures for those over 40 and what is the literacy rate (that is, measured by high school graduation.) Some sad realities: not all people are capable of achieving any high standard requirements for high school graduation–and not everyone is capable of achieving a college degree (without seriously reducing expectations.)
While there are excesses in some schools these have mainly been local decisions and that is where the decisions on such things should be made. How many schools are still so under staffed, under equiped, etc. that students are given no real experiences that are even current in the “real world”. Going back all those years to my own high school chemistry class–did not even have any of the very basic things and when went to college saw things in the lab drawer I had only seen pictures of let alone really even touched—and I had to compete in that class against well qualified students.
And other things: give charter school status with serious reduction of all the state mandated rules to all school and observe the results—and could go on and on about how many qualified and dedicated teachers had to leave the field because of low pay and benefits; how many capable administrators have taken those abilities and went into businesses because of the pay/benefits situation people believe should exist in public schools, etc. etc.
Simplicity and over reaction by some of those in “leadership” positions are not answers to anything.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:12:12 +0000

Why shouldn’t we have a cultural shift, one where we pay teachers six-figures a year, respect them, and make them a pillar of sociecty. Why shouldn’t we have school buildings, not just with chalkboards and desks, but school buildings that are palatial, not in the atheletic facilities, but where it matters.

The first thing that must be done is to eliminate property taxes as the funding mechanisim, because it tends to prove that rich schools get richer and poor schools get poorer.

As for mega-vouchers (your idea), I don’t think giving up on public schools is going to solve a problem.