Okay, maybe Europe has something right.
I’ve been plenty anti-European when it comes to people talking about the way things are done in Europe. It isn’t so much that I’m down on the Europeans, I’m just tired of hearing about a lot of the social policies they enact over there as being the best thing since sliced bread when I don’t see that to be the case. John Stossel brings up some points about education in Europe that I agree with, though. The do seem to be doing things better over there than over here.
The difference is that public schools actually have to compete with private schools for education dollars. Competition makes for better, cheaper products and education is no exception. Competition also creates niche markets that public education just doesn’t cater to in this country.
I think it’s the lack of those niche markets in eduction that is killing us. Public education is geared to educate kids from the 30th percentile to the 70th percentile. The 20 percent on the top and the 20 percent on the bottom do not get addressed by the public educators in America. Sure, the give lip service to having gifted and special education classes but these classes are not available in most schools and when they are available are not necessarily what they are advertised to be.
It is my contention that if educators are made to compete you will have schools available — in your area — that will properly educate your child regardless of your child’s needs. How do you get that competition? You use vouchers.
I know there is a group of people out there that claim that with all that money being given back to the parents to make the decision about where there child will attend school then it will drain money from the public school systems leaving the poor with a worse education system than they do now. Well, the poor will have the same dollar amount of vouchers that the rich kids have. There will be private schools opening up to take that money. Public schools can retain the money by offering a quality education program.
If any school does not offer as good of an education program as you can get elsewhere the school will close due to lack of funding. Isn’t that the way it should be?
I’ll be anxious to see John Stossells show this Friday night.
