Shut down public schools?

Question

Why not shut down government run education and turn things over to private industry. Give the people the tax dollars that are taken from them and let them decide how to educate their children.

I graduated in 97, and I hate to tell all of you, but your fear is already happening. The rich kids go to private schools. The poor kids go to public schools. The good teachers only want to work at the private schools or the few school public schools the weathly still go to. How many good teachers want to work in DC or New York City Schools?

Answer 1

100% voucher would be a magnificent system. Failing schools would drop by the wayside, successful schools would grow.

I've heard that Vermont already has something approaching this, with total school choice.

Answer 2

So, is the suggestion to throw our hands up in the air, admit that the public school system is a failure, shut it down, and make education a province of the rich? Private industry takes over the education process and, without government intervention, can raise tuition as high as they want. The high quality schools can charge the high rates, while everyone else gets the Wal-Mart education they deserve because their parents can't make enough money to send them anywhere else.

And since we all aspire to send our kids to the best schools out there, there's no way we'd ever consider sending our kids to the cheap schools. Too bad for those losers, we'd say.

Some things in our society are set up to benefit society, not just to commerce. We all lose when we create a generation that doesn't give a rip about our fellow humans, when all that matters is that I come out on top and the rest of the world can sit and spin. We get the society we ask for.

Answer 3

I don't think that would work. Look at the this way - the poorer people could afford only what the government would give them, while the richer people would add additional money to it and demand a better school. Schools would step up with a "better" school for these wealthy people. So you would end up with the rich kids in a "better" school and all the poor kids in a separate school. Of course all of your good teachers would want in the wealthy school so all the worse teachers would go to the poor schools. So this would create "segregation" by weath.

Answer 4

This will never happen.

Brain-washing the next generation is the key to political power for all parties - both Government and Teaching Unions know that - no way are they giving that up !

NB. The Rich already provide their kids with a better education = it's just not very efficient - for example, how can it be cost effective to move house in order to get your kids into the 'best'' schools ?

Answer 5

What happens when people can't afford to pay for it? Do we just let the kids suffer? Do we put the rich kids in super good schools while the poor get less of an education. The high class will get more educated and richer while poor will continue to get poorer.

Just my opinion and I plan to send my kids to private school!!

Answer 6

Mark my words, as I've told my mother long ago, There will be no public school someday. I live in Memphis Tennessee and the school system is awful. Children don't get uninterupted study time AT ALL, this is why my children have been home schooled. I told my mom "You watch and see, it will be the law for parents to stay home and teach their children", There won't be any room for all the kids, like now. This will happen, and maybe sooner than we think. We don't pay our teachers enough as it is to deal with all the drama. Jennifer

Answer 7

There has to be something to benefit private industry to make them want to take on such a project. Who's going to oversee the private companies running the public schools?

Answer 8

The way it's set up right now, that sounds like a great idea!

Answer 9

YES! This is the greatest idea i ever heard of!