I think in the very near future, we are going to see a whole lot of change in the way public schools work. In fact, I wouldn't doubt it if grades 9-12 become obsolete. Kids want out. They want to move on. Many high schools are now offering AP courses. If kids are unhappy with brick and mortar high schools, they can take courses on line or attend junior college. In fact, one newspaper article predicted that in five years' time, most kids will be taking on-line courses, and they can be taken anywhere and at anytime and with any provider they choose.
It's going to change because people want it to change, and it's going to hit the education blob like a ton of bricks. Some public school districts have already realized that and are offering their own on-line courses to students who would rather be elsewhere than the local souless pile of bricks.
From another thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1361554/posts?page=65#65
Good response, ladylib...
To: ladylib
"Homeschool them and let them go to college when they're 14. "
***I agree with homeschooling, but not everyone has the wherewithal to do it. What is your provision for those who can't afford it, other than the standard browbeating of parents that they don't care enough for their children? Here's an example thread:
On the 'sin' of sending kids to public school
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1362311/posts
Interestingly, your prior response in #30 contains the seeds of the conundrum that kids face today, namely that the moment they can pass the equivalency test they are wasting their time in high school.
Thread 30: "More schools are also shifting attention to the standardized testing or the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests."
Ladylib: I think this is the real reason. Gotta study for those high-stakes tests, and the more academic courses you take, the better you'll do.
With your permission, I'd like to copy your response over on my other thread.
64 posted on 03/17/2005 5:42:56 PM PST by Kevin OMalley (No, not Freeper#95235, Freeper #1165: Charter member, What Was My Login Club.)
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To: Kevin OMalley
"***I agree with homeschooling, but not everyone has the wherewithal to do it. What is your provision for those who can't afford it, other than the standard browbeating of parents that they don't care enough for their children?
Browbeating????!!!! How dare You! LOL!
I would never, ever browbeat or even question a parent who chooses not to homeschool their children. I would never question an educational choice -- even a relative's. Homeschooling certainly isn't for everyone. It's not for parents who are not particularly fond of their children (although they may love them, you really have to like your kids to put up with them all day), and it's not for parents who know in their hearts they would just botch it up. In fact, it's not feasible for a lot of parents for a lot of reasons. That said, I, myself, am not happy with today's public schools for any number of reasons, and I sometimes do wonder why parents are willing to send their kids to public school.
However, many parents are very happy with their children's school (some of my relatives and friends, for instance) and many students are very happy to attend them. I also have relatives and friends who think homeschooling is for people who live in the backwoods, worship with snakes, marry their cousins, and sit around the kitchen table all day. They still might not want their children to go to the local public school, however, so they're willing to pay $12,000 a year in private school tuition. Choice is great!
I think it's fantastic that kids can start college at 14 if they are bright enough and they choose to do so. Why should they be held back? Many kids today just want to move on. They don't want another four years. Why can't they go to work, apprentice, take on-line courses at their convenience, start their own businesses, or go to the vocational school of their choice? Is it because we don't want kids from 14 - 18 on the streets or taking jobs from older workers? I think that's probably it. It's all about control.
Schools are cutting recess, electives, gym, art, music -- because they think that it takes too much time from test preparation. School officials are running scared. No Child Left Behind is throwing them for a loop. Their jobs are on the line -- finally. If enough kids don't pass their high-stakes tests, that could be the end of their careers. They need those kids to pull the fat from the fire. A lot of students don't do well -- and the reason they don't do well is because they are victims of poor curriculum and teaching practices, in my opionion. The chickens have come home to roost. It's make or break time for public schools -- I give them another two or three years to figure it out because every day, there are more and more options.
You can use my response.
65 posted on 03/17/2005 7:09:02 PM PST by ladylib
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