Thursday, March 24, 2011

Public or Government Schools? You Decide.

http://www.onlineschools.org/education-debate/patrick-riccards-2012-election-public-schools-or-government-schools/
Discusses how some Republicans running for office (Presidential) claim our schools are “attempting to ‘socialize your children’” calling them“government-run schools.” And Michelle Rhee (made famous through Waiting for Superman) says schools provide“one fixed set of political beliefs.”


Sadly, as I do research, these folks may be on to something. I'm not promoting a nation of private schools or republican schools or what have you, just more choice as to the schools you can attend, and less government (esp. federal) intrusion.

Well you can decide if they're public or government but I'm casting my vote for government.

The article refutes government control of schools, stating that they are run by local school board. Yes, and no. Who decides the curriculum (i.e. textbooks, standardized tests, programs such as Reading First, standards) classes needed to graduate, teacher qualifications, performance sanctions, and laws and policies (i.e. from ed code, case studies) to name a few? Not the individual school/district's teachers, parents, students, or staff. Not the school board. It is a melange of state education representatives and federal education cronies....I mean representatives who mandate and dictate these laws, policies, and processes down on the teachers, students, etc. It is a prime case of top-down management and teachers and students are just government pawns. If you disagree with me, please tell me how "we" (teachers, students, school boards, etc) then can rid of NCLB, standards, mandated curriculum, etc (that is if we chose to).

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