[lug] BVSD Windows vs Mac craziness

[Tkil]

>>>>> "Nate" == Nate Duehr <nate at natetech.com> writes:

Nate> Let parents spend that money on a religious, or highly academic,
Nate> or even an old-fashioned Reading and Writing type of school of
Nate> their choice.  

My tax money will go to religious schools when you pry it out of my
cold dead hands, etc.

Nate> Test those kids with their "scary" specializations with the same
Nate> standard tests kids at public schools are tested with, and what
Nate> do you get?  Better students overall.  Almost always.

Make a thorough discussion of evolution a part of those tests.  And a
good ethical essay on both sides of the abortion debate.  And whether
rational people build houses for their imaginary friends.  And a
lengthly chunk on comparative religions.

Better yet, make sure that everyone can write a supporting essay on at
least three radically different religions, particularly excluding the
religion they were raised in.

Nate> It's always about "follow the money" whether we're talking
Nate> business or government.

Nate> Move the money with the students, and this problem starts to fix
Nate> itself.  Parents deserve choice in schools.  Competition breeds
Nate> better business.

Ok, well, if competition builds better _____, let's get rid of all
subsidies and protections and tax shelters.

Churches have to compete too!  Let's get rid of all the tax breaks
that churches get.  And even donations to churches (which fund the
"cheaper in dollars if not cost to rest of society" parochial schools)
shouldn't be tax deductable -- they're competing against for-profit
schools, so let them pay taxes too.

And since competition breeds better workers, let's put your IT job up
for competition anywhere in the world with no protections at all.
Still in favor of unbridled competition?  Aver that you've not ever
once complained about outsourcing or high-paying IT/CS jobs moving to
India or wherever.

Nate> Tie the money to the student.

Define "successful student" then.  Happy?  Good job after college?
College at all?  Reading levels?  Critical thinking skills?  How do
you test that?  Breadth of knowledge?  Understanding of the world?
Tolerance?  Intolerance?

Nate> (Additionally, teachers would also lose things like "tenure" in
Nate> situations like this, 

And tenure was originally put in place so that teachers could teach
unpopular but still true and correct knowledge.  The fact that it's
been abused is only obvious now -- at the time it was put into place,
it was there to fight other abuses as well.

Nate> but the best teachers would be rewarded monetarily just like in
Nate> the standard workplace.  Top performers get paid.  Mediocre
Nate> performers can usually survive and make a decent wage.  Poor
Nate> performers leave the business.)

See above.  Define performance.  It's not easy.

t.

p.s. Note that I'm now a parent, and I share your disgust/dislike of
     the current public school system.  All of the fixes currently
     seem scarier than the problem, though.