Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Joe Btfsplk who wrote (46862)	10/16/2000 4:40:57 PM
From: Art Bechhoefer	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 769667

"It is my understanding that the quality of a liberal education from a good high school at the turn of the century well surpassed that of a four year institution today. All of that when schools were private or under very local control. To my mind, that brings into question your underlying assumptions." You can't solve today's problems on the basis of what worked well in the 19th century. The problems are different. The attitude toward education is different. The diversity among students, and the family encouragement of education (or lack of it) is different. My wife taught first grade in a Catholic school, where the class size numbered nearly 70. That was 40 years ago, and she even acknowledges it wouldn't work today because the students and their backgrounds in urban parochial schools are so different. The one key difference between public and private education is that the private/parochial schools have the luxury of kicking out non-performing students and maintaining at least a semblance of discipline in the classroom. The only public schools that can come close to a well disciplined private environment are the ones in upper income communities. To find a decent school for low income people is very rare, and possibly confined only to unusual situations, such as the Menonite schools. I repeat, the only result of a voucher system would be to put mainly affluent students into reasonably good schools and leave poorer students with even less than they have now. That sounds like a reasonable solution to Republicans because they cater to wealthier people.