Should we scrap public education? Why or why not?

[chris p]

I went through the system in Florida at great taxpayer expense. The only years that were beneficial were the years that I was separated into a gifted group for every class. Based on my experience, non-gifted students don't learn. But they make up 95% of the educational tax burden.

Education was supposed to be the great hope of democracy. Seems we're too stupid to learn. It's a bitter pill but it's not any secret. There's no shame in ending a relationship that isn't working.

[forusall]

maybe they should change the way they educate...you sound a little self righteous...i, too, went through the public education system and it failed me....i dropped out because of the way they presented the material and the overall climate of the schools i attended...i went on to get my G.E.D. and go to a university where i had a 3.8 the whole three years i went ( i decided they had nothing to offer me)....i am currently homeschooling my son because of the bombardment of academic facts without any real learning going on in the local schools....get rid of schools, no....actually research how to teach so that info is both absorbed and the climate pleasant, yes.

[alfie]

No, but schooling past the 5th grade should not be compulsory. All education should be free, right through graduate school. Education should be less compulsory and more available to all at any age.

[Sageandscholar]

Well we have 99% adult literacy so clearly they learn something. You want to shut down public education we couldn't even claim that.

[jwthoughts]

No, but we should hold them accountable by passing school vouchers. If they actually had to compete for students, they would also have to actually teach.

My apologies to those teachers who actually do, but you are in the minority.

[Rafi]

I don't understand why we don't make the stupid kids go to a vocational school and get jobs. If they don't want to go to school - why make them? We need plumbers as much as we need lawyers. Rather than have them be a drain on taxpayer money, turn them into contributing members of the workforce.

[Bobby]

Well, I went through public schools and graduated from a pretty good, large, public University with no problem. If we do away with the public schools most students would get no education except for what they learned at home or on the streets. There would also be a lot of juvenile crime from these young people who were not in school. The majority of students in public schools are learning something, but some are not trying, are causing disruptions, and are not learning much. They are the problem. What do you propose we do with them?