Although I never attended one, I understand that Catholic schools are famous for good, tough educations. Unfortunately, I don't think the Catholic school model is scalable. Remember, Catholic schools are heavily subsidized by the Catholic Church, which is the only reason they are economically viable for poorer families. Like I said, good but plain private schools around here start at $10K per kid per year, and go up from there.
Maybe we should turn over the public schools to the Catholic Church? Now, won't that cause a stir...
But I see the point on the firmness aspect of the education. Lower your expectations, and the kids will underperform. Raise them, and they will also rise. Good point.
I wasn't specifically calling out disruptive kids, but simply kids that were harder to educate: special education, handicapped, English as a foreign language, poorer starts that put them behind others. You can't give up on them, but there is a cost to bringing them along. I think we just have to absorb that cost. I believe 'mainstreaming' should be an individual decision, based on the child. Unfortunately, I think it has become an economic decision; getting these kids into the mainstream helps reduces staff needs, but steals from each kids education. |
