Posted by
voice_of_reason on Sunday, March 11, 2007 8:05:51 PM
Imagine ..
A presidential candidate whose platform for education included the following:
A) Making tuition to accredited Private Schools tax deductible
AND / OR
B) Providing vouchers to families with school age kids - vouchers that could be used at accredited public AND private schools
Such a candidate would get the interest of parents (read: voters) from both sides of the political spectrum.
Needless to say, such a candidate would not appeal to most union-istas - except for those who also happened to be parents who put their kids' education ahead of the political loyalties.
What would the above proposals achieve?
They would:
- constitute a relatively minor change in our existing system - and give us a chance to see if this reforms the system
- revive private education - currently struggling, with some notable exceptions
- increase competition for teachers - raising salaries for good teachers
- set the country on a path towards free-enterprise-education; IMO this should've been our approach from day one!
Please take a moment and jot down your responses to the following questions:
1) Would you vote for such a candidate regardless of the candidate's party affiliation?
2) Are there any disadvantages to either of the two proposals?
3) Can you name any candidate with the huevos to take on the status-quo in education?
4) Can we accept the status-quo?