Over at the Examiner, Dan Gainor takes a close look at the public education system in Baltimore. The picture isn't pretty:
The headlines from this very paper in recent weeks tell the story. "Battered Baltimore city teacher out of school; accused attackers allowed to return to take tests"; "Violent attacks leave emotional scars"; and "Police hope officers at schools will curb crime."
Teachers are on the defensive. Thug students run rampant with little discipline. And then there's the learning or lack thereof that so plagues our schools.
The solution? Good old-fashion competition courtesy of school choice programs:
Children can learn if we give them the opportunity and safety. That means two things. First, help them opt out of our pathetic public school system. We have to provide them with the financial means - a viable voucher system. Parents of children who opt out of the schools should be able to recoup some of what they pay to underwrite the costs of private education.
Such a policy would be a boon to the poor, who can't afford to escape the incompetence of the education establishment. Rich folks have always been able to flee. It's middle class and poorer workers who would most benefit.
More here.
4 Comments
rm | May 26, 2008, 9:48am | #
The Obama's and Edwards send their kids to private schools so why can't I? Public schools aren't good enough for their kids but they are for ours?Democrats are always so quick to claim Republicans are the rich elitist but that is absolute hypocrisy. Because they have the financial means their children reap the gains yet they don't want others to have that same choice. It is the Democratic party and the NEA that have kept children in poor schools with our tax dollars all the while granting tenure to teachers who are overpaid for their lack of intellect and abilities to begin with.
David | May 26, 2008, 11:49pm | #
Gainor writes, "In many ways it reflects failures of other parts of our social contract — poor or no parenting..."
How do we improve the quality of parenting in our communities. I'd like to hear some serious discussion on this topic.
maggie | May 27, 2008, 11:07am | #
i would hate to have to send my children to public inner city schools. texas has a lot of faults, but school is not one of them. at least the choices aren't. according to "leeper vs arlington", we texas parents can home school our children and don't have to have a college education to do it. we are considered private school. cps, law enforcement nor the school can touch us as long as we really teach our children. we are finding that home schooled children are excelling. they are learning more because they do not have the distraction of crime, drugs and stupidity. they learn more than a paragraph of history here and there. there are many organizations in texas that help with socialization of the home schooled child.. it is a great system. when my teenage grandson went back to a small town public high school so he could play in the band, his teachers were amazed at his knowledge of history, geography and english. i had home schooled him and i have only one year of college. the system works.
maggie | May 27, 2008, 11:18am | #
i take exception to the "poor parenting". the states want to take the choices away from parents for the most part and make "school rules". the schools do not consider the rights of the parents to decide what is best for their children. that is the biggest reason the parents of texas fought for, and won the right to home school. there are some really great schools in texas.. and then there are some really bad ones. i guess that can be said of any state. there are some bad parents, but for the most part, the parents are very concerned with the education of their children. we need to take the TAKS testing out of the schools and get back to real education. they spend so much time learning the silly test that they do not learn what they should be taught.. they say bad parenting? well, i think it is bad schools.. i have raised 7 kids and have seen the good and the bad. i consented to my grandson going back to public school only because i lacked the math skills to teach him. i am very good at the other subjects. i guess i am a bad parent, or grand parent.