Bush Asking For Increased Military Powers?

[wkmac]

<font color="ff0000">during the years after World War II, America built the world's greatest system of public higher education.
</font>

Since that time the Federal gov't has exercised more and more control over local education but ironically instead of getting better and better we are getting worse and worse. Local controlled public education wasn't perfect but the kids could at least do long division come 8th grade and now you see college kids unable to do this.

You can blame privatization for some ills if you so choose but at the same time the failure of large scale gov't to provide top quality education speaks volumes. In our local area, between local and federal dollars spent, a combine cost per student is over $10k per year. That same $10k into the hands of the parent would go a long ways in providing even a low income family the means to provide their kids a top notch education at a top flight private school.

Until you are willing to place performance pressures on the public service then you will at best get bare minimum results and in many cases the results are below minimum standards. Privatization isn't the one all answer but neither is the current public educational system either. Both systems are not perfect for all kids and families however I do believe returning to local control of education would be a good first step. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" IMO was one step further to prop up an otherwise failing system. At the end of the day the results will only get worse. JMO.

 

[susiedriver]

wkmac,

You did read the article, didn't you? The point was that universities are be privatized by corporations and large donors, not public vs. private universities.

Katharine C. Lyall, an economist and president emeritus of the University of Wisconsin. "America is rapidly privatizing its public colleges and universities, whose mission used to be to serve the public good. But if private donors and corporations are providing much of a university's budget, then they will set the agenda, perhaps in ways the public likes and perhaps not. Public control is slipping away."