Hacker News Reader

Comment by pasttense01 | Hacker News Reader

I think there is a lot to be said for public schools to be eliminated, for all schools to be private schools with the government providing vouchers. So you would have some students going to a strong STEM school, others to schools with strong vocational education, etc--instead of students going to an average generic local public school. There is a lot to be said for freedom of choice.

View on HN

I think thats likely the worst outcome possible. The public school system needs reform not privatization.

Privatization of any vital public infrastructure has to my knowledge never led to a better result. Whether is public transport, medical care, or education. You can have a specialized public school system that allows for different life paths, but putting the education in the hands of private entities is going to degrade the education for most students.

I agree with this, just look at privatized health care for were private schools will go.

It will be a money suck and kids will learn nothing.

Maybe.... MAYBE if the private schools were forced to teach the government curriculum.

There should not be freedom of choice when it comes to tracking fundamentals of arts and sciences and history.

Tell me, what happens when the education privateers decides it isn't profitable to operate in majority black neighborhoods? Rural towns with sparse population?

You have rights with a public school system you don’t have with private school system. And not just “it’s a government run school so they have to follow the constitution.” You have explicit political rights. For example, you have the right to vote in school board elections and bonds. You don’t get to vote for the board of EduCorp LLC.

What actually happens is children from impoverished/troubled families and bad neighborhoods get completely screwed over, exacerbating existing problems and creating new ones by burdening already vulnerable children with more difficult logistics and higher transport and general schooling costs across town. This isn’t even about “better educational outcomes”. That’s all very weak smoke and mirrors for the actual intent: for better off families to pull the ladder up behind them and kick struggling communities clinging to the edge into the abyss while funneling cash to ideological strongholds that desperately need new ways to regrow their dwindling congregations. That’s at best. At worst it’s reinventing classic racist policies.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com