[reeb88]

shoedog is correct. If you want to just compare salaries and the hours of school you are twisting the facts. As a teacher and coach in Texas, I make less than my wife who is an RN. The difference is that there is an element of competition in the medical profession where there is not one in public education. We need vouchers and a just compensation--but let's not continue to throw money away like we currently are. Competition works in public education. Just go look at any high school football program in Texas. Kids are grouped by ability, work hard to improve their skills, and are tested every Friday in the Fall. Add to that their coaches are competitively hired based on job performance, which includes wins and losses but also includes the number of kids signing letters of intent for various colleges. Those who say competition won't work in public education are the same ones who are wouldn't make the effort to compete in the first place.

[reeb88]

Let me also add that the discipline within athletics is much stricter than in the classroom. Off-task behavior on the practice field or during games is usually not tolerated, and most parents will not challenge the consequences given their kid in those circumstances.