HomeschoolrsRUs
08-17-2005, 08:16 AM
August 15, 2005
The Seven Deadly Sins of Government-Funded Schools
by Mark Harrison
<!--BIO-->Mark Harrison is an economic consultant in Australia and author of an article on education choice in the Spring/Summer Cato Journal (http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/index.html).
<!--BODY-->The U.S. public school monopoly is guilty of seven deadly sins: It wastes resources, discourages good teaching, inhibits parental involvement, suppresses information, stifles innovation, creates conflict and harms the poor.
Just as the seven deadly sins correspond to weaknesses in human nature, the sins of public education are inherent in the nature of the existing system -- that it is controlled, operated and funded by government. The politicians and bureaucrats who control government-owned schools do not have the strong incentives or the information necessary to satisfy consumers, control costs, innovate or encourage good teaching.
The rest of this article found here:
The Seven Deadly Sins of Government-Funded Schools (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4178)
1. It wastes resources
Per the information found here for Florida: 2004 Budget (http://www.aif.com/2004Articles/2004Budget.htm)
"Per Student Funding: The Governor's budget recommends a total of $6,100 (a 4.85 percent increase per student). These increases also fully cover the estimated 55,000 new students who will enter the public school system next year. During the past six years, per student funding has increased more than $1,000 per student, or 25 percent."
The nature of the beast (public education) encourages, supports, and obscures the waste of tax payer dollars, because there is no accountability to the citizenry as to where their money is going.
2. Discourages good teaching
This is due, in thanks mostly, to the teacher's unions.
3. Inhibits parental involvement
Inhibits? I'd say prevents and outright denies parental involvement from what I have seen.
4. Suppresses information
To allow negative information to be known, is to risk financial restrictions -- the schools must maintain, if not grow, their influx of dollars
5. Stifles innovation
Uniformity is the only way -- anyone who strays too far from the norm is discouraged if not prohibited. Plus, one must worry about "offending" anyone, and of course, no teacher will get the extra $ to spend on any innovative teaching idea, it must come from their own pocket.
6. Creates conflict
One hand doesn't know what the other is doing, and so mass confusion ensues.
7. Harms the poor.
They are stuck -- if the school isn't working for their child, they have no choice, they are stuck there.
And this is just my interpretation of the list!
The Seven Deadly Sins of Government-Funded Schools
by Mark Harrison
<!--BIO-->Mark Harrison is an economic consultant in Australia and author of an article on education choice in the Spring/Summer Cato Journal (http://www.cato.org/pubs/journal/index.html).
<!--BODY-->The U.S. public school monopoly is guilty of seven deadly sins: It wastes resources, discourages good teaching, inhibits parental involvement, suppresses information, stifles innovation, creates conflict and harms the poor.
Just as the seven deadly sins correspond to weaknesses in human nature, the sins of public education are inherent in the nature of the existing system -- that it is controlled, operated and funded by government. The politicians and bureaucrats who control government-owned schools do not have the strong incentives or the information necessary to satisfy consumers, control costs, innovate or encourage good teaching.
The rest of this article found here:
The Seven Deadly Sins of Government-Funded Schools (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4178)
1. It wastes resources
Per the information found here for Florida: 2004 Budget (http://www.aif.com/2004Articles/2004Budget.htm)
"Per Student Funding: The Governor's budget recommends a total of $6,100 (a 4.85 percent increase per student). These increases also fully cover the estimated 55,000 new students who will enter the public school system next year. During the past six years, per student funding has increased more than $1,000 per student, or 25 percent."
The nature of the beast (public education) encourages, supports, and obscures the waste of tax payer dollars, because there is no accountability to the citizenry as to where their money is going.
2. Discourages good teaching
This is due, in thanks mostly, to the teacher's unions.
3. Inhibits parental involvement
Inhibits? I'd say prevents and outright denies parental involvement from what I have seen.
4. Suppresses information
To allow negative information to be known, is to risk financial restrictions -- the schools must maintain, if not grow, their influx of dollars
5. Stifles innovation
Uniformity is the only way -- anyone who strays too far from the norm is discouraged if not prohibited. Plus, one must worry about "offending" anyone, and of course, no teacher will get the extra $ to spend on any innovative teaching idea, it must come from their own pocket.
6. Creates conflict
One hand doesn't know what the other is doing, and so mass confusion ensues.
7. Harms the poor.
They are stuck -- if the school isn't working for their child, they have no choice, they are stuck there.
And this is just my interpretation of the list!