I guess you will just have to visit the US and decide for yourself.

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An informed voter scares the Goverment lackeys.

An American first and always a Conservative.

I think we need to look at association as well. If you go to a school filled with pupils from a poor background there is a probablity that most of your peers will come from uneducated families. They will value education less then say a school populated by the children of the middle classes, with a strong ethic for education. If your peers don't care about their studys then you are more likley to misbehave yourself or at least have disruptive lessons. Vouchers (although arguably good for other reasons) would not solve this problem. They would simply allow articulate middle class parents in poor areas to send their children to richer ones. A better solution would be Grammer schools, selection by ability. Then bright working class boys and girls would mix with bright middle class boys and girls and allow them to change their social status. I know this system acknowledges the class system, but something doesn't cease to exist because you find it distasteful.

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Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.
- Cecil Rhodes

All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.
-Edmund Burke

The amount of private schools do not impact funding upon the public schools. The only way it can be consiedered so is because the public schools get 'x' amount of dollars per student. The federal government does not assist private schools in any meaningful way, and and the only things that the private schools take away from the public schools is some studetns who don't want to be stuck in the hoorible public school system.

It would also be unconstitutional to remove private education. It was tried in Oregon (Pierce Society Sisters ?) and I believe the Court said that a state could not force a student ot attend a state (public) school.

I think Lchilds point is that the best teachers go to private schools which isn't fair

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Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first prize in the lottery of life.
- Cecil Rhodes

All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.
-Edmund Burke

Its a good point, but the problem with that is that the test is based on middle class culture, which working class kids just aren't going to happen. I know that the class system isn't just simply going to collapse. Also what about late developers. I wouldn't mind that much if also they tested every year to make sure that any later developers were picked up. Also another problem with the grammer school system is that the middle class parents are going to instill the valuation of achievment and right culture into their kids earlier, making the system just as class based as ever. Also anyone who fails a test especially an early one will be branded a failure, and in only but a few cases a self fullfilling prophecy takes place.

He said it was based on money, and that isn't true at all, since teachers make much more money at public schools. I think that many of the public schools have teachers who are just as good as those at private schools, but they are contricted in what they can do. There is less discipline and academics is not as important to the average public school student.

As far as it being fair, there are reasons why teachers choose to be in private schools over public schools, and it most definately isn't about money. It is about teaching kids who actually want to learn. You would see those same teachers want to teach in public schools if they cleaned up some of their problems. Plus, why wouldn't a teacher want to teach students who actually wanted to learn? A lot of public school classes are like a baby sitting service.

Christ your close minded. There is no difference, had those kids been brought up by middle class parents they to would "want" to learn. I agree that you still have excellent teachers in public schools, but you have more and of a higher quality in private schools. I have no problem with teachers wanting to teach willing pupils I can full understand that. There would be more discipline in the public sector if you let your Federal Government impose it. I'm sorry but I just don't believe that private school teachers are paid less than public that makes no sense. Certainly isn't the case in Britain.

Surely, you are jesting, right?? If not, can I safely assume that you are an advocate for the continuation of the failed government sponsored education?

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"A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done."
Fred Allen

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
John Galbraith

You can assume that. However if you read my posts you will see what policies I would introduce, which is probably very different from what the assumed education you think i'm sponsering is like.

Obviously you DIDN'T read my starter post.

In this country, spending on public education has INCREASED astronomically, every year, under each administration, since the creation of the Department of Education. Your clamoring for extra funding into a failed system is moot; we ARE spending way too much into a system, with results that leave alot to be desired.

The US spends more, per child, per capita, on government-funded education than just about ALL other industrialized nations; some combined! It's not the money, as some would have you to believe, or what you have been taught.

In a system where the power is taken away from the federal government, and back into the hands of the parents (where it should be), the parents would be in control. The parents would have the ability to make a uniformed decision on where to send their children based on content, structure, discipline, etc.... instead of the "one size fits all" system we presently have.

__________________
"A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done."
Fred Allen

"A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
George Bernard Shaw

"Politics is the art of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."
John Galbraith