Reign of Error Reflection Ch. 16
I believe that each family should have the right to choose to send their children to a private, public or charter school. Tax funds should be available for the same amount per child to go toward the type of school of their choosing. Schools are not good or bad based on their type, but rather are successful or not depending upon the individual management and teaching at each facility.
The government in general does not run programs better than private industries. They are each out for their own interests. Charter schools vary in their quality just like public or other private schools. (Ravitch, 2014, P. 156) However like private schools, charter schools will not be in business for long if they are run poorly because parents will quit sending their children to them. All taxpayers should have a right to choose where they want to send their children to be educated and where they want to spend their allotted educational funds.
Discussion Question: Should government have control over where children are educated?
Reign of Error Reflection Ch. 17
Cyber education has its pros and cons. For motivated monitored students it can be a fabulous experience. It cuts out wasted time and leaves opportunity for other kinds of education. Like, homeschooling, it can be done well or poorly depending on the supervision. There needs to be a strict curriculum and strong monitoring at home.
I believe the internet can provide a wealth of information to educate children but they need to be self-motivated to be successful. It is not the right education for all children. There is really no substitute for a great teacher and a classroom full of lively conversation. (Ravitch, 2014, P.180) However, for certain situations cyber education can be a viable alternative. Funds should be available if parents choose this option. Again there is no guarantee that a child will thrive in any one educational environment verses another. Parents should care enough to put their children in the educational climate that is best for each individual child.
Discussion Question: Is internet education interactive enough to educate a child from kindergarten through high school?
Reign of Error Reflection Ch. 18
The Parent Trigger law says that parents with children in the lowest 20% of schools can vote to take control over a public school and turn the facility over to a charter school. (Ravitch, 2014, P. 201) This is wrong because I am in agreement with the writer that the taxpayers own the school not the parents whose children are currently attending it. (Ravitch, 2014, P. 203) Parents have a right to send their children to any school they wish, but to take jurisdiction over a property is not within their rights.
The examples in the text reveal that the majority of parents still choose to keep their children in the public school system. I believe there should be a way to allow parents to vote to remove teachers or administrators if their job performance is unacceptable to the majority of parents.
Discussion Question: Who should have more say in what happens to public school facilities, taxpayers or parents?
Reign of Error Reflection Ch. 19
Milton Freedman proposed that all families should receive vouchers to send their children to the school of their choosing whether it is public, charter, catholic or another type of school. (Ravitch, 2014, P. 206) I am in agreement with his proposal. A free market for education would make for better learning in my opinion. If the government were run more like a business, public schools would either disappear or be competitive with the alternative schools.
There is so much bureaucracy in the public school system it prevents funds from being appropriately used for the education of the students. The focus needs to return to what is best for each individual student’s education. We need to refocus on how each student learns best. There needs to be guidelines and curriculum models that are consistent amongst all educational facilities, but how and where each child learns should be up to their families.
Discussion Question: What would make the voucher system more effective for the majority of students?
References
Ravitch, D. (2014) Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools (1st Addition). New York: Knopf
