Posted on 02/21/2010 12:14:19 PM PST by beaversmom
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can’t, thank a Teachers Union.
If you can read this, thank your parents for after-schooling you.
Absolutely thank your parents. One has to wonder why people do not point to the success of programs like Sylvan Learning Center, and question why they are successful. First off there is the question of why on earth people who already pay dearly for public schools would shell out even more to use those services. And second, the no brainer in thinking about why they are needed? Does that not reflect badly on schools? Gee ya think?
Thanks for posting this. I had missed it. Well worth watching.
If you can read this in English, thank a person that has or is serving in the military.
Bump!!
Another Reason to Homeschool
5,000 parents showed up for the lottery on 100 seats. Watching that and the long, long line around the block just broke my heart.
This is why I think people on this site sometimes are too quick to give up on black votes and on black people. The schools are failing these kids, parents who are trying could do a lot better, our students would improve, our schools would become somewhat more civilized and safe, and entire generations (not all but a goodly number) of poor kids would see their lot improved-—through CHOICE.
FREEDOM. It works.
If only we’d allow it.
At the very least, Stossel is right-—we’re not going to end public SPENDING on education but we should attach the money to the children, let competition decide the fates of schools and the market forces do what the government semi-monopoly couldn’t. I also think our society would improve as you wouldn’t have the de facto segregation by wealth and location (via the wealthy congregating in certain areas because of the schools.) You could have REAL diversity but without as many of the headaches as forced busing and the like would bring. And housing probably becomes a bit cheaper too, if you no longer have this impetus to move to a certain area because of the schools.
Basically, a lot of things would improve in this society if we just changed our system a bit but the teacher’s unions and administrative class are too self-interested and use the political machine to prevent reform-—reform that would lower their pay, perhaps, but would save generations of Americans. They are the enemy of the people and should be treated as such. Break the unions and the education establishment, including the Ed Schools at the university level and their influence on credentialing barriers to teachers and their pedagogical fads and you will see a swift change, one that will impact us for a century.
If Republican candidates were smart they would attend these lotteries and **personally** greet each of these parents waiting in line.
Republicans ( if they were smart) would support school choice.
If you can read this, thank your parents.
It’s pretty well known that public education without parental involvement is marginally better than no education at all.
Marked for later, Thanks!
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5,000 parents showed up for the lottery on 100 seats. Watching that and the long, long line around the block just broke my heart.
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How many of these 5,000 parents showed up to their child’s last parent teacher conference? I average about 12% over the year and that’s at a good school. Just saying it would be nice to see lines like that at PTC night.
Ladies and Gentlemen: I understand that the teachers unions are one of the most hated groups around here. I belong to one and they can be difficult to say the least.
However, do you really think that politicians are going to let what they see as government money get returned to the citizens?
Nope not going to happen. Charter schools are a SCAM. The businesses that run the schools are lining the pockets of the elected officials that are in charge of the process. Our city has seen one go bankrupt about three weeks into the school year, and one of the schools didn’t even have textbooks on the teachers institute day before school started.
I have never heard of a charter school saving its city money. They charge the same as a public school, and their test scores are not much better. Also they don’t have to deal with special education issues and accommodations. We spend more money on teaching illegal immigrants English than we do on gifted kids. (I tangle with the union people all the time on that one.)
Also if you have a charter school in your community you might want to check the salary of the CEO. Some of these people make $300,000 and upwards of $700,000 a year. Nice not for profit company. Heck, maybe I should start one and rake in the cash while it lasts.
Check out this ladies pay. Not bad for dealing with 4 schools.
So Belgium doesn’t work?
They don’t allow parents to send their kids with a voucher for the tuition and choose which school they will attend? His interview with the Belgian principal was fiction?
The idea is that you have to apply this strategy across the board and not just ‘experiments.’
More or less you sound like a teacher’s union shill.
Did you NOT watch the segment about the poor countries and their private schools which outperform the state schools?
Seriously. Did you? Do you question how market forces work?
Makes one wonder.....all this talk of health care reform when we have health care. Yet Dems would never consider reforming education industry thanks to the p powerful teachers’ union.
What I found most unbelievable was the black union president of the DC Teachers Union saying that they needed to keep the money being spent on charter schools and vouchers for the public system.
After it had already been explained that the vouchers and charters were spending LESS per student than the public system.
Given the same total budget, every student that is given a voucher and exits the public schools mean the public system has MORE money left per student.
If a public school district currently spends $150M educating 10,000 students at $15,000 each, then offloads 5,000 students to a voucher system at a cost of $7,500 each, that leaves the public schools with $22,500 per each remaining student.
So if public schools were really interested in maximizing resources to educate students, they should jump at the chance to move students onto vouchers.
Yes, I agree. At the open house stuff in the regular classes there are perhaps a few parents that take the effort to go. When my son was at a choice school the room was standing room only for ALL of the various invites for the parents, during the day.
However, the choice schools that push the kids - and just plain old ordinary kids, not super smart or anything - they get results. My son is in regular school now. Even with the honors and AP classes he is bored. And he didn’t win the lottery to get into Biology. His science teacher is a loser. Will extend the due dates on projects if the kids aren’t ready. Will postpone exams because he can’t get the computer figured out. Of course my son gets his work done on time, and studies for tests - only to take them a week later.
We tried to get my girls into a choice school. Just got their lottery results as they applied for the incoming sixth grade class of 66 kids. One is on the wait list at 368, the other is at 453. Really is a shame that with a model that works so well and has a high demand, the regular schools get all the funding. (”Well, they need more money because they have more problems.”)
I mean - 600+ sixth graders trying to get into a better school. (And that’s one school out of several that are available in our area). That’s really a sad statement on the current system.
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