Say Anything Blog

Public versus private schools--several years ago I had a discussion with some former teachers about this.  Their rock-hard position on this was that the tax money we all pay for schools “belongs” to the public school system--there is no way that this mmoney should/could follow the child to a private (non-public) school.  Operative part is “belongs” to the public system.

the tax money we all pay for schools “belongs” to the public school system-

Wouldn’t it be better if the money the taxpayers contributed to the education of our children belonged to the children who were to be be educated, directed by those people most closely invested with the success of their education...their parents!

A troll is someone who only wants to stir up trouble, not have an honest debate.  Some signs that a poster is a troll:
* Dodges questions from other posters * Refuses to give sources
* When one of its arguments is shown to be false, either ignores the proof or moves the goalposts.  Heh. (From the LGF faq)

The idea that public schools are even equal to private schools is ridiculous on its face.  All parents already pay for public schools through their taxes, and if private schools weren’t demonstrably superior, no parent would spend the extra money to send a child to one of them.  The fact that, despite a virtual monopoly by the govt on education, private schools not only exist but are thriving, puts the lie to this whole concept.
Of course, socialists don’t think we know what to do with our money, which is why they want to take it in the first place.

If you don’t know by now, don’t mess with it.

I think it’s fair to say that on a case-by-case basis, any given public school could be better than a given private school.  Here in my hometown, I think our public school system is better than the private school we have here in town.  I could afford to send my daughter to the private school, but I won’t because as a parent I think the public school is better.

But the point is that everyone needs to be able to make that choice.  And if more people were allowed to make that choice, more options would emerge as well to compete for those voucher dollars.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Here in my hometown, I think our public school system is better than the private school we have here in town.

If this is true, that private school will go out of business, or start producing a better product.  No such protection exists for public schools.

If you don’t know by now, don’t mess with it.

If this is true, that private school will go out of business, or start producing a better product.  No such protection exists for public schools.

In fact if the public school is failing the lefties claim it needs more money.

I guess that’d be ok if the additional money ever improved the situation, but it doesn’t.

What we have is a system where failure is rewarded and success is ignored.

On the other hand with a private school system (with vouchers) better schools could charge more and get parents to pay a bit more. 

I’m sure the lefties will get upset about that but what they don’t see is that the success of the one schools will improve the rest of the schools thru competition.

What’s going to happen to US industry when the global warming extremists like John McCain double the price of electricity?  I would think all these factories will close and set up in countries where they aren’t scared of technology.

I’m sure the lefties will get upset about that but what they don’t see is that the success of the one schools will improve the rest of the schools thru competition.

Lefties don’t want competition; they want monopoly.

If you don’t know by now, don’t mess with it.

Do any of you believe that more and more parents would say that there children are getting less of an education than they had?

I would have to say that private schools almost always offers a better education than nearly all public schools, I think there is very few exceptions.

Are more students becoming less interested in the importance of education? After all most of the education relies on the students will to learn.

Is public school more of a distraction than private school?  Does these distractions really matter to a student who is capable and eager to learn?

I think that everybody is wasting to much time on these students who are unwilling to be part of the education process. Bushy’s no child left behind crap just holds back students who are willing to thrive in their education.

Take these children who have no interest in school and teach them a damn trade in stead of wasting every bodies time, money and students education.

When that is done public school education will compete more with private school, Does anyone know here know how home schooling competes?

That study’s a joke. Not too many things more academically or intellectually dishonest than adding “controls” to a study that will allow you to reach the conclusion you desire.

In fact if the public school is failing the lefties claim it needs more money.

That’s the way they are with all programs. It’s never that their ideas and programs are failing - it’s just that those programs are never being given their “proper funding.”

""That’s the problem with you lefties, you’re not willing to get your hands dirty. I’d suggest you roll up your sleeves.”

-Jack Bauer

First, the conclusions being drawn from the study by the CEP don’t exactly match the data of the study itself.

The study did address the issue.  In the analysis, it specifically said that the comparison was valid for non-Catholic private schools.  The Caholic private schools consistently outperform all others.  Personally, I suspect that it has to do 100% with discipline in those schools.

When I read the study, the thing that jumped out at me was that the unifying positive factor is every single category they studied was the parent.  In every situation, some form of parental involvement was the key to success.  It wasn’t the same in each case, but it was always the parents.

One reason that private schools don’t have a greater advantage over public schools is because of pay.  Tpically, private school pay less than public schools.  This is partially because the two groups have different standards and requirements for teachers.  Public schools require a teacher to be certified in his/her field.  It is combination of subject matter and edictaional technique.  Arguably, the second part is significantly less important than the first.  Private schools do not labor under that same burden.  They can hire someone who has the subject matter background but not the education.

Normally, this would lead to private schools paying enough to attract the best public school teachers, but that doesn’t happen.  This is beacue they have to balance their costs against what people are willing to pay in tuition.  As a result, you end up in a situation where many schools are foced to take whatever teacehrs are available who may or may not be experts in their field.  I personally know public school teachers who firmly believe that their kids would be better off in private schools.  They speak ill of public schools every chance they get.  However, they continue to work for public schools because, by their own admission, private schools don’t pay enough.

If this is true, that private school will go out of business, or start producing a better product.

Many parents send their kids to private schools for many different reasons.  For instance, our local district is racially-mixed.  We are surrounded by districts that are almost 100% white.  Our district academically outperforms the surrounding schools time and again, especially when judged against college remdiation rates.  It is quite common for parents here to take their kids out of the local, public school and illegally enroll them in one of the other schools, including some of the local private schools.  The main reson is to get their kids away from “those people.”

One other pitfall to vouchers.  Don’t believe that vouchers will solve all of lifes ills.  typically, with any government money comes government rules.  Some of the very same things that you currently dislike about public schools could well be mandated upon private schools if they agree to accept the vouchers.

"Although I can accept talking scarecrows, lions and great wizards in emerald cities, I find it hard to believe there is no paperwork involved when your house lands on a witch.”
- Dave James