I am not totally sure what I think of them either as I have decided what's best for my family, and that is not it. However... I do think that it is an interesting paradigm shift and gets us out of the vicious circle of endless funding increases "for the children" that never make a difference.
There is such a thing as a toxic school, and there should be a way out. I dislike the whole passive "be taught how to take a test" model, but if the local school isn't even doing that well, a family that cannot homeschool should have an option. Empowerment for the family, accountability for the school, and not just based on test scores. Dana On 10/5/05, C. Hatton Humphrey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Exactly why using a free market system would work. Who knows what > > metrics make a school "good" or "bad". We test the crap out of kids > > and still people argue about what makes a school good or bad, why one > > school is better than another. > > > > By allowing parents to choose the school their kids will go to, the > > education market dictates what the definition of "good" is. "Good" > > schools thrive, "bad" ones don't. > > As of right now the only metrics being used by a vast majority of > people are the test scores required by states... here in NY it's the > "Regent's Exam"... a statewide exam given every year. Local schools > are "graded" based on the percent of students that pass the exams. > "Failing" schools (aka bad) have a pass rate below (I believe) 65%. > Our local school system had a 96% percent pass rate even though we are > rural (the closest "chain" is 30 miles away, there are corn fields > next to the soccer fields and students who want a job can work on an > apple orchard, a nusrsery or at a dairy barn). > > Personally vouchers are an interesting concept, especially the > suggestions that parents be able to use vouchers to pay for private > schools. I don't really know if I agree with them or not, I've had > too many irons in too many other fires to worry about it yet. > > Hatton > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Discover CFTicket - The leading ColdFusion Help Desk and Trouble Ticket application http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=48 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:176122 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=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
