Huh. I’ve been working in public education for about fifteen years. I’ve only used this method in a class if I was training students, for example how to use new software. I would never use it for any deeper learning. Every teacher I’ve known has done likewise. And while our public education system is based on an outdated model, it is gradually moving to a better, more personalized model. For more information, read Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning, by Schwahn and McGarvey.
By the way, vouchers won’t work. That’s been proved here in St. Paul, where for years parents had open choice of schools to which to send their kids. Guess what? The schools where parents were active participants in their kids’ learning were always the schools where students performed best. The schools where students went because they were just “neighborhood schools,” meaning parents didn’t really make a choice and weren’t involved in their children’s learning (not judging, just saying), performed the worst. Providing vouchers would not have made a dent.
I expect that many private schools and homeschools perform well purely because of the highly involved parents who select them and are willing to invest significant resources in their children’s growth. Even so, parents select schools based on what they believe to be true about them with very little evidence to go on. In fact, parents continue to select schools that have nothing more to recommend them than an excellent advertising department. In my state, one of the online charter schools has over a 50% dropout rate and only a 25% graduation rate, yet their enrollment continues to increase because they have fabulous advertising.
Public schools are forced to accept every student, while private schools frequently have admission requirements and universally have highly involved parents. They will never have to deal with the students whose home life is a shambles or who are living on the streets. My school district had 1565 of our 35,263 students who were homeless at some time during the course of the last school year. Do you suppose that doesn’t impact how they perform in school? Private schools never have to educate students whose severe special needs keep them from being able to either speak or write. You are comparing apples and kumquats.
zero over 11 years ago
That public school method has been outdated since 1927.
J Short over 11 years ago
The private sector is almost always more effective. Why do you think parents run to get vouchers for private schools?
jerry200 over 11 years ago
Anither repeat.. wonder what the reason is this time?
cmusicfan2000 over 11 years ago
And yet many of them STILL have better teachers that the public schools do
Coyoty Premium Member over 11 years ago
“Informative”. Is that like “information experience” or “informationesque”?
infiniterealities over 11 years ago
Huh. I’ve been working in public education for about fifteen years. I’ve only used this method in a class if I was training students, for example how to use new software. I would never use it for any deeper learning. Every teacher I’ve known has done likewise. And while our public education system is based on an outdated model, it is gradually moving to a better, more personalized model. For more information, read Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning, by Schwahn and McGarvey.
By the way, vouchers won’t work. That’s been proved here in St. Paul, where for years parents had open choice of schools to which to send their kids. Guess what? The schools where parents were active participants in their kids’ learning were always the schools where students performed best. The schools where students went because they were just “neighborhood schools,” meaning parents didn’t really make a choice and weren’t involved in their children’s learning (not judging, just saying), performed the worst. Providing vouchers would not have made a dent.
jbarnes over 11 years ago
I expect that many private schools and homeschools perform well purely because of the highly involved parents who select them and are willing to invest significant resources in their children’s growth. Even so, parents select schools based on what they believe to be true about them with very little evidence to go on. In fact, parents continue to select schools that have nothing more to recommend them than an excellent advertising department. In my state, one of the online charter schools has over a 50% dropout rate and only a 25% graduation rate, yet their enrollment continues to increase because they have fabulous advertising.
jbarnes over 11 years ago
Public schools are forced to accept every student, while private schools frequently have admission requirements and universally have highly involved parents. They will never have to deal with the students whose home life is a shambles or who are living on the streets. My school district had 1565 of our 35,263 students who were homeless at some time during the course of the last school year. Do you suppose that doesn’t impact how they perform in school? Private schools never have to educate students whose severe special needs keep them from being able to either speak or write. You are comparing apples and kumquats.