From: mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,talk.politics.theory,alt.politics.elections,alt.politics.marrou,alt.politics.bush
Subject: Re: US Public Schools: Get Rid of All the Bureaucrats!
Date: 18 Aug 92 19:29:50 GMT
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: gelato.mips.com

jason "Think!" steiner) writes:
|> mpolen@gelato.mips.com (Michael Polen) writes:
|> > joec@fid.morgan.com (Joe Collins) writes:
|> > |> >lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich) writes:
|> > |> >
|> > |> >	My solution to the US public schools' problems:
|> > |> >
|> > |> >	Get rid of all the bureaucrats!
|> > |> 
|> > |> I agree 100%
|> > |> 
|> > |> US Public schools have FAR more administrators than
|> > |> private/independent schools. But US public schools do a much
|> > |> worse job of educating America's kids.
|> > |> 
|> > |> We outspend the Japanese by 2-to-1 on money spent per student,
|> > |> yet their students are far more educated than ours.
|> > |> 
|> > |> On an international basis, we rank last among 13 nations in
|> > |> math/science.
|> > |> 
|> > |> Its time do do something - I support school choice.
|> > |> 
|> > Interesting.  The Japanese don't agree with you.
|> 
|> the type of school system has nothing to do with it. overall
|> (i know there are exceptions, i am one) students do well
|> because of parental involvement. our students would be best
|> in the world too if parents spent hours learning the lessons and
|> doing the homework alongside the children.
|> 
|> public schools here have brushed parents off. in some areas it's
|> even outright antagonism. it gets worse when issues of religion
|> and "indoctrination" are considered.

Wrong.  Parents have brushed their kids off.  I was closely
involved in my own childrens education, and was able to affect
their course schedule, which teachers they got, how much home
work was assigned (not enough for the better students), etc.
I was also president of the PTSO.  It was impossible to get
parents to even join.  The principle came, a few teachers came,
parents didn't (10-15 active parents in a school of 200 children).
|> 
|> parents who care enough to send their kids private schools are just
|> more involved. IMHO, a voucher system would be a great way to
|> empower parents & get them back into the system. public schools
|> now have no real incentive to change except for some decree from
|> Washington. maybe some competition can change that.
|> 
This is only partially true.  Many parents send them because they
want to get rid of them, and can afford to.  Others send them to
develop or enforce religious education.  Still others send them to
private schools because the public schools expell them.  This
doesn't mean they are more involved.  There are still problem
children in private schools.  There are still problem parents in
private schools.

I have no disagreement that the public schools system needs to be
severly improved.  I do not believe that a voucher system will
cause that to happen.  If a voucher system were put in place
*AS PART OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL REFORM PROGRAM* I would consider it.
But I will not allow any part of the funds I pay (with no more
children in public schools) to be used to avoid fixing
the problem by satisfying a few children.

This consideration would does not include, however, in diverting
any funds to a school financially tied to any religious
organization (note that I said financially, not philosophically). 
It seems to me that this would allow education to become a
fund raising opportunity, which would be public funding support
for religion.