My kids did pretty well in public schools. But if they were still of school age, I would be either a charter or private school parent. That is the public schools' dilemma. Many people who were once committed to the American ideal of educating their children in public schools are looking for escape routes from particular schools or the entire system. They are looking at choice programs, vouchers and charter, parochial and private schools.
Unprecedented numbers are home-schooling.
A rocky transition The latest issue of Education Week reports that Pittsburgh is closing 12 schools, Dayton 14 schools, Detroit six schools and Buffalo 12 schools. I don't believe it signals the demise of public education. It's a transitional phase. Up until the 1950s, most American public schools still used teacher-centered methods, as European and Asian schools and American private and Catholic schools continue to do. Teacher-centered schools emphasize direct instruction of content.