Yes.
First of all, is it the school that is effective or is it the fact that these schools are dominated by primarily intact mother-father families?
There is a high correlation- effective public schools tend to be clustered in areas with high incomes and educational levels (and two-parent households). This also means more parental involvement in education. Conversely, the worst school are in places with low incomes and educational levels and high illegitimacy/single-parent households. The schools reflect the communities around them (and vice versa).
Also...Is the academic success of these children do to the school or is it entirely due to the “afterschooling” done by the child and his parents?
Parental involvement is key in any child's education. I can only speak from my personal experience, however, that almost all of my schoolwork I did without my parents' involvement, other than occasionally asking for help in math and sciences.
Is it the school that is so successful or are the children successful **in spite** of their government school?
Educated yuppies in places like McLean and Chevy Chase demand accountability from their public schools. They expect their yuppie larva to go to good colleges. Accordingly, they stay on top of the schools and make sure they are getting their property tax money's worth. Like I said, schools reflect the priorities of the surrounding communities. Which explains why the schools in Anacostia are the worst of the worst.
So?...If you believe that a religiously, politically, and culturally neutral government school is possible please describe one.
We have different definitions of what constitutes a neutral education. I don't mind my kids being exposed to different viewpoints in school, including liberal (and even Marxist) ones. However, I demand that public schools stay true to their basic mission of educating children in math, science, English and history in as a non-biased way as possible.
We have fundamentally different views of what a school should be- you want a school to teach everything from your religious perspective. I know you do not want the public school to teach that perspective, which is commendable. However, you have to understand that many people pay more for a house to live in an area with good schools. Your plan to de-fund such schools is going to get you laughed out of the room in such places. People in such places are happy with their public schools and are not interested in any plan that will jeapordize their investments.
That is why voucher plans don't get much traction with parents who live in good school districts. They simply see no upside to letting students from other areas being able to enroll in their schools.
oh man.... my daughter played on a softball team with a girl from McLean High School. Let me tell you, the whole family thought they were better than anyone else and brought up where they lived at every chance. We live out in the country and they often made snide comments about the schools out where we were. Imagine her surprise when the girls filled out recruiting information and my child had the highest GPA, ranking, # of AP courses, highest AP average, highest SAT, and highest ACT scores. The mom was pretty shocked.
vThey simply see no upside to letting students from other areas being able to enroll in their schools.
Damn straight on this one....Trust me, these communities will fight tooth and nail to keep out what they see as undesirables. And by undesirable, their skin color means nothing as long as they have enough of the right color GREEN in their pockets