At 04:58 PM 1/2/04 -0500, Tyler Durden wrote:

Nah nah Variola...I don't think you're getting me here. Or maybe you are...

We're not talking about the same thing. I'm talking about the importance of culture in valuing education, and how important education (aka personal capitalism) is. You're talking about different things -schools not removing disruptives, and differences in this policy in poor districts.

Now if you're saying that public schools shouldn't even exist...well...OK, whatever.

I don't know where you got that from, unless you're simply applying libertarian ideals (albeit a reasonable extrapolation for me). I would destroy publicly administered schools tomorrow, and put the money into competitive private schools, aka "vouchers". In the long term libertarian utopia, govt isn't involved in funding (even lower) education of course, but I would put that last on my list of reforms, and note that eventually education can be funded in other ways. In the short term, no govt employee should teach; a few govt accountants can write the vouchers. They shouldn't teach because of 1. conflict of interest (in teaching history, civics) 2. govt shouldn't be in the business of running schools, even if taxpayers continue to fund it 3. govt (and uncompetitive school bureaucracy) is inefficient whatever it does 4. govt curricula are swayed by politics, whereas with vouchers you can decide how you want Columbus et al. portrayed. (This distinct from 1.) 5. 1st amendment conflicts (ie compelled speech, compelled reading) Obviously religious curricula cannot be payed for by vouchers. And practically, the state would have to assure that vouchers paid are getting something for their money, esp. for home-schoolers, who should get voucher $ too. That doesn't mean a fixed curricula, just that you are literate and numerate by a reasonable age.