What are public schools *really* doing?

[Anmar]

I live about 10 miles away from one of the country's worst school districts, Oakland.

Here in California, families can opt out of the public schools and send their kids to charter schools.  The Charter schools recieve state money but have flexibility in the curriculum.  They are still required to follow guidelines, they can't promote religion in the schools, but they can do just about anything else.  The system works for families who care about their kids' education.  Families who don't care just get stuck with the public schools.  Now, public schools are having to work a little harder in order to keep their funding.  When they lose students, they lose money.

I'm in favor of providing an altertanitive to families.  My point is, this whole concept doesn't just pertain to the school system.  When you apply the philisophical arguments to health care, you come up with the democrats' plan for a public option.

[redcliffsw]

There's better and more alternatives to schooling without the gov't.

[Sarah]

Sarah what you said is sad but true.  As for changing...Yes it can be done.  But it will require people getting involved and not just with the school boards or PTAs.  But orgainizing, demonstrating, protesting...things that the "right" just don't often do.  They have to take a page from the playbook of the other side.  The feeling of "well, theres nothing really I can do" has invaded the Right like a cancer, and it needs to be cut out. 

You're right.  We tend to be rather quiet passivists sometimes.  The liberals generally are in the minority but they have the biggest mouths.  LOL

[Patriot]

And, sadly, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!  But I hope we're seeing that the conservative wheel (the one that largely keeps the system rolling with jobs n such) is drying out and starting to squeal like a stuck pig!