On the heels of the much belabored Gruss vs Dana thread about minimum wage, living wage, and education - here's a new branch off a similar tree to chew on.
Also, please, before everyone runs off to determine if this is supported by Liberals or Conservatives and starts regurgitating the proper and well rehearsed party fed arguments for and against it - just consider it for a few minutes. Then feel free to run off and ask your favorite political party what you should think.... All this talk about market forces and education has be thinking about an idea that's been around for a long time. If the free market's supply/demand rules were applied to education? What if your child were allowed to enter any public schools you choose? What if the X dollars that the govt gives each school per student were easily re-assigned to another school? In this model, students would flock to the good school and the failing school would - well - fail. A market would be created in the public school sector the same way it now exists in the private school sector. If you thought the public school your child goes to sucks, fine - send them to another, and the bad school loses your money, eventually closing. Certain public schools will become so desirable that they actually have to put admission standards in place. Education isn't forced down anyone's throat - but market forces give everyone better opportunity to a quality education then exists today. If you live in a low income area, or a high income area, you have the same opportunity to gain entrance into any school. Sure there are advantages given to rich kids (tutors, connections, etc), but those advantages aren't going to go away no matter what happens. Also consider that this market exists for the most part in the US right now in higher education. If you work hard, you can earn acceptance to many great colleges based on scholorships and in some cases you gain admitance on the govt dime just for getting admitted to the college. The disparity in this system is that the lower schools that enable students to gain the education required to get into the higher schools just isn't available in all areas... Some additional (slightly dated) reading material on the topic: http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/hnp/hddflash/workp/wp_00064.html Anyway - here's to the newest foreverthread.... -Cameron ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:175979 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
