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CoreyRS.hanusI happen to agree with much of what Cy says, with one important exception. That pertains to the teachers' unions. IMO, the single worst thing to ever happen to public education is the tenure system. PERIOD!!! And I say that not only from sending three kids to public school, but also from knowledge of the inner workings of the system. My wife you see for many years was a tenured middle school teacher. She received tenure when she was in her middle 20's. What that meant is short of some EGREGIOUS transgression, she had a job for life, regardless how much she cared about her students or regardless how much effort she put into her classes.
I always thought the concept of tenure in education originated out of concern that professors should not be punished for their views and indeed should be encouraged to think and publish creatively and without fear of retribution for out-of-the-box ideas. After all, weren't some of the greatest ideas in human history greeted as little more than heresy when they were first announced? But what the dickens does this have to do with elementary, middle school and even high school education? How many other efficient professions have a system where as a practical matter a person is awarded with a job for life after 2-3 years of work? Such a system makes mockery of the whole concept of human incentive--to advance you have to continually perform and prove you belong. Any system that functions on a different concept is doomed to inefficiency and complacency. I believe there are a myriad of examples in the socialist and communist world to attest this view.
As/more important than smaller class size or parental involvement with their kids' education is that in private schools (and again I say this from experience because I went to one) (and I imagine too with parochial schools though not having gone to one I can't speak from experience), is that if a teacher doesn't perform, he/she is out on his/her ass. Parents whose tuition dollars fund the majority of the school budget will insist on nothing less.
My views about this matter are hardly an extreme opinion. Many others feel the way I do. In fact, what do you think led to the creation of the charter school concept? And why do you think the teachers' unions regard themselves in a life or death struggle with them? Charter schools too are predicated on the notion of accountability for their teachers; become lax or mess up and you're out. No wonder the teachers' unions feel so threatened.
I am at the point that with at least one of my kids we are seriously considering sending her to private school. It is not because of smaller class size, or that we have some great desire to spend our hard-earned dollars on tuition, or that we do not go to a good school district. But simply because we are getting fed up with too many teachers who simply don't care, have no economic motivation to care, and frankly who have no business being in the profession of educating our children.