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Education Reform
The first public schools in America were created by groups of private to serve the educational
needs of the communities in which they lived. They were not mandated by state or federal
government, just created to answer the need of society for educated citizens. They were called public schools not because they were part of a
public government, but because attendance was open to the general public. Anyone could
attend, and tuition was set based on ability to pay. Education was basic and functional. Costs were kept extremely low so that no one had to pay an unreasonable tuition.
This basic idea of practical education for a local community at a reasonable price has a rich
and successful history. From the William Penn charter schools in colonial Philadelphia to
parochial schools of the 19th and 20th century, communities have found it
practical and economical to provide their members with the education they need. Even the earliest
ancestors of modern public schools - like the Free Schools of the 1840s - were structured and funded on a local basis, not under the
auspices of state or national government.
Only relatively recently has the idea of a nationwide, uniform
system of mandatory education been imposed on our communities. Even in its relatively short
history it has become clear that this type of education does not work. Government controlled
schools provide an inferior quality of education at a much higher price with far less sensitivity
to the needs and interests of the communities the schools supposedly serve.
The heart of the traditional community school of the 19th century was the teacher, a clearly
identifiable individual who had real reponsibility for the children in his or her care, and
was answerable primarily to the parents in the community. There were no cental regional
administrators, nationwide educational initiatives or faceless state or federal bureaucrats
pushing cookie-cutter curricula or promoting the agendas of special interests in place of real education.
If there was something wrong in your kid's school you took it up with the teacher or principal
of that school who was answerable to you and to other parents, not to some distant, uninvolved
bureaucracy. This structure encouraged parental involvement and made schools responsive to
community needs. It also resulted in better educated students.
We need to move back to this tradition, put control of the schools in the hands of the parents
and teachers, massively reduce administration, and put the emphasis back on education. To this
end I propose setting a statewide limit on administrative spending and administrative personnel
and initiatives to put administration in the hands of teacher-administrators and
parent volunteers. I would also support substantial reductions in the size of school districts
so that the largest administrative area would be the neighborhoods served by a specific school.
The ultimate objective would be to move schools into the community and out of the public sector.
This would require educational vouchers which could be spent at community schools or private
schools to provide freedom of choice. Private education works. The average private school today
spends less money per student, yet provides a better education than public schools in the same
area. There is no justification for forcing parents to pay ever increasing taxes to support
a failed system.
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