re: #639 lostlakehiker

But the central fact is that these schools often outperform the public schools while undercutting their costs. If children matter, then this has to be a consideration. We should allow these schools to give the job their best try, and if they in fact advance their charges more than the same students would likely have advanced in public school, (going by placement tests at the outset and state records for the regular school the child would have instead had to attend), then the schools should receive more voucher support.

As long as they comply with laws regarding content, and get around to teaching readin, writin, rithmetic, science and history, that should suffice. It’s not a proper state attitude that it will be better the child learn nothing, than that his parents put him in a school where religion will be included in the curriculum.

The proper secular function of the State is to see to it that children are given an education that equips them to function as citizens, voters, and workers in the mainstream economy and society. Schools that do that have to be encouraged, since unfortunately so many State schools do an inadequate job, and some do a scandalously bad job.

That performance rating is skewed.

First off, the good private schools do not take just anyone.

Second off, the sorts of people who send their kids to a first rate private school already value education enough to pay tuition - and therefore the kids value it more.

Third off, private school teachers frequently get paid a lot less then public school teachers so they cut a lot of costs in that manner. However, they tend to have a higher grade of teacher candidate - as in the out of college with a real degree, but having a hard time getting a job.