And how do you propose to hold private concerns accountable?
Say for instance that Company A is administering all of the schools in the Hypotheticalville's schools districts. (As would likely happen, we live in an age of corporate consolidation, not in an age of small businesses competing with each other in a model of pure capitalism)
Now, say that Company A decides to operate these schools at the lowest possible cost in order to maximize their shareholder return, thereby providing an exceptionally low quality of education for their students.
How does the community hold Company A accountable? There's no competition, no way to take your children to another school without paying an exclusive private school a great deal of money in tuition.
The parents therefore are as much of a captive market for Company A as they were for the public school district that existed before them.
The point I'm making is that businesses do not exist for their customers, they exist for the benefit of their shareholders and therefore they do what makes economic sense in order to maximize shareholder return.
Therefore, placing businesses in charge of education ensures that education will be delivered in a manner which maximizes the benefit, not to the children being served, but to the owners of the corporations delivering the education.
If they provide a low quality of education for the children then they get FIRED, something we can't do with teachers today. It is in the best interests of the corporation running the schools to get the job done as efficiently as possible. That is their responsibility to the shareholder. If they can combine low cost with higher levels of education then everyone wins. Another idea would be charter schools which have proved successful
http://edreform.com/_upload/CSTRecordSuccess2003.pdf
How does the community hold Company A accountable? There's no competition, no way to take your children to another school without paying an exclusive private school a great deal of money in tuition.
+++Already explained above and besides how are the schools today being held accountable? Under the present failed system you still have to pay to take your child to a private school.
The parents therefore are as much of a captive market for Company A as they were for the public school district that existed before them. +++When a concern such as the teachers unions have no competition and no productivity requirements we get what we have today. Lazy teachers and a bloated Administration system within the schools. I read somewhere and don't know how true it is, that there are 3 administrators for each teacher in our public schools. That is just plain ludicrous.
The point I'm making is that businesses do not exist for their customers, they exist for the benefit of their shareholders and therefore they do what makes economic sense in order to maximize shareholder return.
Which they cannot do if they get "fired" for non performance, something union teachers are shielded from.
Therefore, placing businesses in charge of education ensures that education will be delivered in a manner which maximizes the benefit, not to the children being served, but to the owners of the corporations delivering the education.
Already addressed this above.