Exhibit A -- Just How Far Away School Reform Really Is
From Ash:
Just a quick, further thought on Po's post from yesterday, from something in the news that really drove this all home to me.
It's not that either of us think that our society should stop from considering larger school reform movements. We'd love to see them happen. However, as Po said, the results of those are decades away -- and there's no guarantee any of it will work. Actually, a lot of the reforms that have been tried over the years have been surprising failures. (e.g., Is anybody else here a victim of "new math"?)
But if you want to really know just how far away a successful, thorough reform of the public schools is, take a look at yesterday's The Boston Globe. In it, the paper reported that four of the five candidates for Governor of Massachusetts are sending (or have sent) their kids to private schools. Not just any private schools -- we're talking $17,000 to $20,000 a year kindergartens, $40,000 a year boarding schools and the like.
This is Massachusetts -- the state that sends the most of its high school grads to college -- the state with the highest number of adults with college-educations.
In other words, in a state with some of the best ed numbers around, those who seek the absolute power to run their schools don't think they can do it in enough time to help their own children.
Just a quick, further thought on Po's post from yesterday, from something in the news that really drove this all home to me.
It's not that either of us think that our society should stop from considering larger school reform movements. We'd love to see them happen. However, as Po said, the results of those are decades away -- and there's no guarantee any of it will work. Actually, a lot of the reforms that have been tried over the years have been surprising failures. (e.g., Is anybody else here a victim of "new math"?)
But if you want to really know just how far away a successful, thorough reform of the public schools is, take a look at yesterday's The Boston Globe. In it, the paper reported that four of the five candidates for Governor of Massachusetts are sending (or have sent) their kids to private schools. Not just any private schools -- we're talking $17,000 to $20,000 a year kindergartens, $40,000 a year boarding schools and the like.
This is Massachusetts -- the state that sends the most of its high school grads to college -- the state with the highest number of adults with college-educations.
In other words, in a state with some of the best ed numbers around, those who seek the absolute power to run their schools don't think they can do it in enough time to help their own children.
posted by Ashley Merryman at 8:39 AM
4 Comments:
Is it possible there is a reason the candidates send their children to private schools?
Could it be a security issue?
good point on the security issues.
thanks! My Dad said the reason he never ran for President was he was worried that someone would try to kidnap me.
My grandfather was a Judge and my Mom was kidnapped as a young child because the kidnappers did not like the ruling. She was returned to my grandparents and was never harmed at all.
I often went to public schools although, I did go to a few private schools only because for some weird reason, the public school would NOT accept a deaf child. I did very well at the private nursery school. Of course, I got along with the boys better because they were less verbal than the girls (I am a young lady now). I went to a private Catholic school because that was the best available place for a deaf child.
In public schools, I was put in "remedial" classes only because of my hearing loss!???? When they had budget cuts and the public schools were hurting, I used that to my advantage. I fought and won! I fought to mainstream in all classes with other students. I had a lot of catching up to do after years of being in remedial classes.
I got into University and graduated.
Actually, I don't think the kids are private schools because their parents are running -- they already were enrolled prior to their candidacy.
Post a Comment
<< Home