If you have ever gone to the stores after the black Friday crowd has dissipated, there isn't much left. Everything has been rummaged through and all the good stuff is gone. The only thing that remains are those items that no one wants. You have to settle for what remains or get nothing. If you plan on getting the good stuff, you better get there early and have a plan.
That strategy is fine for shoppers and bargain hunters, but should we treat education that way?
I ask that question to raise this point. As the charter school movement grows and people start talking about vouchers, what will become of public education? Charter schools and private schools will continue to pick and choose the best students, and only those they believe can be successful. When you have the cream of the crop, surely your scores and rate of success will be well above the average. When you compare their success to public school's, the obvious conclusions are hard to ignore.
If public education is broken, fix it. Charter and private schools have 3 tools at their disposal that public schools do not; flexible pay for teachers, union free workplace and student screening. The ability to pick who enrolls in your school is the single most controlling factor.
I neither want the ability to screen students, nor do I think that is the solution. Everyone deserves an education. Some should receive a college prep education and others should be preparing for a vocational job. Do you pass more professional employers or vocational jobs as you drive around your city? The majority of problems in public schools are students whose needs are not being met. They have no interest in what's being taught and will probably not be successful in college. Studies show that two-thirds of students in college are not prepared for college or able to succeed in college.
The time and day is very near when public schools will only have the students that no one else wants. Unfortunately, these schools will still be measured by the same ruler as charter and private schools.
