01-04-2017, 12:49 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-04-2017, 12:54 PM by Eric the Green.)
(01-04-2017, 10:55 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:(01-04-2017, 04:36 AM)Eric the Green Wrote:(01-04-2017, 12:36 AM)Warren Dew Wrote:(01-03-2017, 04:03 PM)David Horn Wrote:(01-01-2017, 06:57 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: Actually, what your sister apparently said supports my original point perfectly: public schools can't teach efficiently, because teachers in public schools have to keep the government happy. Switch to vouchers that parents can use for private schooling, and the time can be spent teaching instead of pleasing politicians.
Most of the meddling I've encountered raising children on my own has come from politicians trying to overlay their belief structure on the schools. In Virginia, that's almost universally conservative with an Evangelical spin. The GOP also likes to cut school funding, since the schools teach "blasphemy".
Same here, except that the politicians here push the liberal progressive belief structure. And the leftist mayor has pushed through a property tax override to fund a gold plated new high school building so his wannabe athlete kids can have amazing phys. ed. facilities, with no benefit to academics.
Wouldn't we both be better off with vouchers to private schools focused purely on nonpartisan academic excellence?
Or dedicated, well-financed public schools focused on that?
As discussed, that doesn't work for this problem because public schools are inherently subject to political pressure.
I don't see that as a problem, as discussed, it it's the right kind of political pressure. I prefer democracy to capitalism as ruler of education. And I see no point to neo-liberal so-called reforms. They accomplish nothing except to fulfill the wishes of neo-liberal believers. We will have a good public school system, like we had before, if we value it again.
Vouchers seem silly to me, just a "transfer payment." It's still public money, and thus subject to just as much political pressure. Blaming unions and teachers can only take you so far. The only thing that can advance education is a social and political movement for better education. It's the only thing that can advance anything.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
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