Archive for August, 2008
“Investing” in Texas public schools
August 24, 2008School Choice and Integration
August 24, 2008If you want to know the truth about racial segregation in private vs. public schools, and many other myths perpetrated by the teacher union leaders (not the teachers), read Dr. Jay P. Greene’s book, Education Myths.
In my humble opinion, he is by far the best researcher on the topic of school choice in the country. You can also read some of his free stuff and his blog.
The most fascinating research that he wrote about is this.
“A study of seating patterns at lunchroom tables confirms these survey findings that integration in private school classrooms leads to greater cross-racial friendship.
Private schools’ students are almost twice as likely to sit in racially mixed groups in the lunchroom as are public school students.
Private schools’ students are almost twice as likely to sit in racially mixed groups in the lunchroom as are public school students. The evidence, in short, indicates that private schools not only produce more racial mixing but also greater racial tolerance and harmony.”
Bumper Stickers
August 21, 2008
Where do McCain and Obama stand on school choice?
August 5, 2008Since the majority of public school funding comes from Austin, not Washington, I don’t know how much difference a school choice president can make. But if school choice is your top issue, there is a clear difference between McCain and Obama.
In his August 3rd oped, McCain said the following,
“If I am elected President, school choice for all who want it, an expansion of Opportunity Scholarships and alternative certification for teachers will all be part of a serious agenda of education reform.”
Let me emphasize that I am not an R or a D. I am a SC (school choicer).
Hey Texans! Stop complaining and get organized!
August 4, 2008Research shows that many parents want school choice, but wantin ain’t getin.
The desperate need is for these parents to be politically organized so that they can protect and reward legislators who support school choice and punish legislators who don’t support school choice.
Nothing is going to change until this happens. No amount of research supporting school choice will cause change. No amount of frustration over the status quo will cause change.
Grassroots organization, especially in Democratic districts, is the only thing that will cause change. The education bureaucracy is already politically organized. Nothing, nada, zilch will change until parents turn their concerns into political organization.
I am trying to politically organize school choice parents in Texas. I would love help from any true believers in Texas. I hope someone is leading the grassroots charge in OK.
Did I mention that….Nothing will change until parents get politically organized around school choice exclusively. This is not about Rep’s or Dem’s, this is about school choice from start to finish!
How was AT&T like the public school system?
August 4, 2008School choice advocates believe in the power of free market competition to improve the quality and efficiency of any industry, including elementary and secondary education.
We like to use the example of an industry that used to be a government monopoly, but is now governed by market competition. That is the telecommunications industry. We old-timers remember when AT&T was a telephone monopoly. We all had black phones. We didn’t own our phones; we leased them from AT&T. It was illegal to install an answering machine to your phone line because it was a “foreign device”. Long distance rates were in the range of $.60 per minute. In current dollars it would be well over $1.00 per minute.
Then “poof”! Competitors are allowed to enter the industry. Now we have answering machines, fax machines, and cell phones. Cell phones are so cheap that kids start getting them in elementary school. Cheap telephone lines allowed us to logon to something called the “world wide web”. You get the idea.
Why would you not expect the elementary and secondary school industry to receive similar benefits if market competition were injected into the system?
