Arkansas Blog

Yes. It's time. It's time to turn our most precious resource--our chilrden--over to the lowest bidder. It's time to entrust the future of our country to the same people who gave us New Coke, clear Pepsi, Three-Mile Island, global warming, and Bhopal. It's time for us to give over our educational system to people whose motivation is not love of children or respect for knowledge, but instead is worship of the almighty dollar and the ability to see that what's important isn't tomorrow or next year or the next decade, but the bottom line this year, this quarter, right now. This is the United States of America, and every thing about it should be about the dollar, every minute, all the time. We've given over the post office, our churches, the army, and even our government. Why not the schools?

"which would replace schools' administrative structures..."

Not going to happen. There would no place for ex-coaches to move up to.

I totally agree with Arch. But unless the entrenched school bureaucracies and teachers start reforming and shed their deadwood they are going to force the public into that lowest bid mentality. Our public school systems are in thier hands and they can continue to be second rate at their own peril --- and the peril of our most critical public institution.

Yes, yes, Janus. Lots of problems with the schools. Certainly McDonalds or Wal-Mart would do a better job.

Keep in mind, the key word here is "public." Parents and the community need to do their part in preparing their children for education.
Anyone failing to look at this problem will fail in finding a solution. There is a direct correspondence between a school's success and community involvement according to research.
Nearly all the problems children have are brought with them from the home and the community into the classrooms. Find a way to reduce these troubles and you'll see schools change for the better.

I agree, Jake. And let's add to the mix the fact that our schools are, for the most part, still set up on a 19th century schedule. Nothing will improve - and other nations will continue to out-perform us - until that major change occurs.

Parental involvement (can't really mandate that), a major overhaul of the school day schedule, teachers having a clue about all the technology kids need to know how to use (still got folks in my building who've never used email, don't know what a blog is, and have never, ever heard of you tube, but you better bet the kids have...) - these are changes we could use.

Oh, yes! Do let's have districts "relinquish control [of our public schools] to the most highly qualified contractors."
Say, I bet that company that operated the Alexander Youth Services Facility might just be the ticket. Uh, they were highly qualified, weren't they? Our state wouldn't hire anything less. You ought to know that.