Should the public school system become a fed division and teachers placed on fed salaries?

Question

This would take away their power to strike and standardize the learning envioronment. Use the current pay structure(s) to continue funding the schools.

I'm not a big gov supporter but will do whatever it takes to repair the public school crisis.

Your thoughts and suggestions please.

nicol (below) - I disagree. Standards in learning and fundemental developement should not be left up to private industry. Education is too critical. Much like the military and such.

mamasquir (below) - good points. I'm just not aware of which inner-city has laptops and PCs for most students. Englewood High barely has books. Also, Chicago scools have fewer Masters level teachers than areas such as Flosmoor (south sub)

Michael (below) I request all thoughts and suggestions, I didn't say I'd agree with them all. That being said, I appreciate them all.

Who knows, someone may say something about "privatization" that may work in my view. Not that my view means much ;-)

Answer 1

no, it should be privatized.

Since when did bigger governance improve the quality of things? Let the private industry improve the quality, and allow for the voucher system.

Answer 2

I agree. But I don't see that happening. I believe school and at least striving for equality in education is very important for future income and stability of the United States. We need the best and the brightest and most educated, (it doesn't hurt that citizens would make more money and pay more taxes-that's the income part). Generally decried these days as "socialist", I don't see how we can keep our status without better schools.

I agree-I don't like to see the government involved in everything, but some things are just too important to leave to private industry. The privatization at the VA(Walter Reed) sure didn't improve things.

Answer 3

I thought you were open to suggestions. Those in the know thus far have ALL said government control is a BAD idea, yet you continue to deny privatization as a viable option, let alone the best one. These aren't random opinions, these are the facts. The best schools in this country are private for a reason. Private enterprise and investment made this country great. It can again if given a chance.

Answer 4

Sorry, Chi guy....but the "public school crises" is caused by those who attend the schools, not the teachers. That's why Oprah put her school for girls in South Africa rather than the U.S....she knew what was up.

Example: The inner-city schools of our metropolitan area have the best of everything. Excellent teachers, lap top computers for each kid (except the younger ones...they get leap pads). My kid's school, in a small town on the outskirts of the Metro, has a single computer in each room, and a small bank of computers in the library for computer class.

Guess which school district is doing better? Ours, that's what.

The difference is the attitude. In the suburban schools, the parents see education as a means to a better life. But in the inner schools, if you study, you are called a bunch of names...."You think your better than us?" "What are you, an oreo?"

Nothing will change until the attitude does.

Answer 5

Only if there was a system of accountability put in to place. Its hard enough to get rid of a Government worker and teachers currently have no real measure of success in their position. If you could measure their effectiveness then I would be for it.

And I'm certainly not big Government, but every time the money goes through a layer of bureaucracy then it get diluted a little more.

Answer 6

Okay by me. I'd love to make the outrageous salaries federal employees make! Not to mention the fact that my workload would probably be about a third of what it is now! In the immortal words of President George W. Bush, "Bring it on!"

Answer 7

NOOO, NEVER!

you're right that the public school system needs to change because it is an utter failure right now... but you're on the wrong end of the stick...

Teachers, under state control, dont have the right to strike...

If schools started becoming federally owned, competition would lower even more....

under State control, Teachers recieve WAY to many benefits and 'support' from organizations like the Teachers Unions as it is...

under Federal control, schools would only get worse, teachers would only get lazier and our kids will only get stupider...

schools lack competition, everything teachers want... they get.

schools need to be more privitized so that there will be more competitiveness between teachers... so that our kids will get better teachers that actually work hard.. why? because they have to or else they will lose their job... teachers who teach better should get more pay...

quotes from a past article i wrote:
------------------------

"Teachers...
They work 6 hours a week in a VERY relaxed, unsupervised environment. They have a ten-year or w/e at every school. They are one of the most stable jobs in america. There are laws protecting teachers from being fired. Why are there none for most other blue/white collar jobs? They get paid what they deserve to get paid... YET THEY STILL WANT MORE MONEY?!?!?!?! GO FIGURE?

MY dad works as a computer tech, knows any system inside and out. Why? Because he was laid off so many times by companies that he had to spend his time doing SOMETHING. WHY, when my dad works 12 hours a day, bends over backwards to get a job that he can keep.. do teachers get their own TEACHERS UNION protecting their job stability and wages, and basically supporting any uneccessary thing teachers need? 3 times my dad got laid off, 3 times his job went overseas... 3 times every1 said 'O Well. thats life.'
Yet, teachers think they deserve more then minimum wage (which they CERTAINLY dont get) and they think they deserve a union. Only other jobs that get unions are low-wage blue collar jobs like masonry and federal construction workers. Cry on teachers, my ears and my sympathy are shut.
Teachers get 10x more vacation days then regular workers, and for the 180 days they work there. Try one week (IF YOUR LUCKY) vaca time every 365 days. And, Personal/Sick days? Excuse me? .. been working too hard? need a personal day to relax your tired brain? Aww, poor baby. Sick for a day? Guess what, your sub gets paid of course.. guess who else gets paid.. the teacher.

Back to the Educational System.. if youre a teacher, instead of those 4 years you spend playing with blocks ( I had a great German Teacher, who has retired and now works as a mason, who admitted to us.. that 2/3 years that he spent in GRAD school, all he did was play with blocks and cut out paper, learning "activities" that he never used. Wanna know why they do those things for 2+ years in college, away from the liberal reasons, its to get higher degrees, thus more pay.. more money they didnt work for)
Teachers should be taking psychology and political class, thus making them more intelligent and understanding of how to teach kids. Teaching should be a science, not a liberal playground of non-sense. Im not voting to pay more taxes so teachers can buy more colored pencils.. ill pay more taxes when my money is going to them going back to college for real intellectual classes.

Dont just have a major in your subject, have a major in how to teach your subject to the group of children your teaching."

"Teachers spend 4-8 years in college.. literally.. cutting out paper and doing workshops. They spend too much time working on activities, even for highschoolers, in which the activity will teach something to them. Its "CREATIVE." Its pathetic, i say.."

Answer 8

ABSOLUTELY NOT! It's funny to me how liberals complain about the loss of their civil liberties, but are all too anxious to put our retirement, our medical insurance, and now in this case....our schools under government control! Anything else you'd like to put under government control? Interstate travel perhaps? Instead of stars and stripes maybe have a hammer and a sikle????

Answer 9

I think letting the feds take it over would make it worse and would end up costing us more money.
I don't know the answer, but letting the government have control over most anything is a bad move.

Answer 10

You want to repair the public schools?
Make em all private!