School Reform

I thought I might repost this:

I should clarify: It's not the teachers (at least not the good ones), it's the system. The teachers union hurts our kids by protecting ineffective teachers. The system hurts our kids by not making schools compete – in fact, the most poorly run schools may get even more money (like KC MO).

I'm actually not for everyone homeschooling; I'm for my family homeschooling. Different options are right for different families. But let's not fool ourselves, there's a problem with American public schools – the longer kids are in our public schools, the further they fall behind.

I hope public schools change, and change soon. If dramatic reforms were made (like abolishing the federal Dept. of Ed. and forcing the NEA to the margins) I would send my kids to public schools. I know several great teachers (and some administrators too) that would be better off in a different system. I've heard too many demoralized teacher that just don't try anymore to fight the system.

How does it change? Let the money follow the kids. Allow parents to choose where their kids go to school. Public, private, religious, home, whatever. The schools that fail will be rejected in favor of schools that produce results (or specialize in certain areas). Our colleges work on a similar system and we have the best universities in the world. Some are public and some are private and some are online but only the competitive ones survive.