I would agree that public education is a localized phenomenon. Those that think they are in a “good” school district fail to see the dangers because their district is better then the ones in the big cities. I have actually heard this from several parents...normally after a year or two they are then complaining about their local district because their child has changed.
“Many folks are just fine sending their kids to school systems that have embraced a secular humanist ethic because, well, frankly, these folks themselves have embraced much, if not all of such an ethic”
Which shows how well the “education” is working over the last several generations.
“Not everyone agrees with you”
That I know...
Thanks for the response.
“I have actually heard this from several parents...normally after a year or two they are then complaining about their local district because their child has changed.”
This is the nature of traditional schools, no matter how good. It's a built-in issue, although there are certain factors that can exacerbate the problem.
When folks homeschool, the only real, significant authorities in the life of the child are mother and father. As soon as the child attends a traditional school, there is a competing authority: teacher. As well, there is an increase in peer pressure.
If the school is a good school, and especially if parents and faculty are truly a united team, the dilution of the parents’ authority isn't as big a problem. But in a large public school environment, “involvement” on the part of the parents usually means to the faculty and administration that the parents should help fund-raise; volunteer to drive kids to various school and extracurricular events; buy the kids whatever goodies the teachers instruct. Parents aren't really part of a united team, and have little say in the overall direction of curriculum or school ideology.
And thus, there is a split between parents and school faculty and administration, resulting in two competing source of authority.
The split becomes especially noticeable if one’s children attend schools where the prevailing ideologies are either: significantly different from one’s own world view and/or; among those ideologies that admire and encourage the repudiation of parental authority.
sitetest