Should Private School (k-12) be Abolished in the United States?

[Franzl]

No, private schools should be able to exist and have a certain degree of independence, assuming that certain state-set standards are adhered to.

Home schooling should be illegal in most cases, however.

[Franzl]

Yes

Care to explain besides "muh equality?"

Not that I oppose private schools, but wouldn't your argument be "muh freedom"?

[Franzl]

Yes

Care to explain besides "muh equality?"

Not that I oppose private schools, but wouldn't your argument be "muh freedom"?

At the core, yes, but I have practical reasons why private schools are important. It seems the opposition comes from kneejerk reactions in the name of equality instead of arguments that private education somehow doesn't provide a decent education.

Well, if equality is of primary importance to you, why should one have to show that private education isn't good? That it's good is the point, or rather that it's better than most can afford.

Again, I don't agree that that's a good reason to ban private education, but it's not that the opponents aren't arguing properly.

[Franzl]

Yes

Care to explain besides "muh equality?"

Not that I oppose private schools, but wouldn't your argument be "muh freedom"?

At the core, yes, but I have practical reasons why private schools are important. It seems the opposition comes from kneejerk reactions in the name of equality instead of arguments that private education somehow doesn't provide a decent education.

Well, if equality is of primary importance to you, why should one have to show that private education isn't good? That it's good is the point, or rather that it's better than most can afford.

Again, I don't agree that that's a good reason to ban private education, but it's not that the opponents aren't arguing properly.

A good solution that I think many of these people could support is government funded scholarships for lower income students. We already have them, in fact, but they could be expanded.

The proper solution would be to improve the public education system, particularly the awful, awful way it's funded in the US. That alone is the root of so many problems.

[Franzl]

Yes, because then people will start to care about improving public schools instead of just yelling "VOUCHERS!" and running away from the problem.

As opposed to yelling "MOAR FUNDING" even though the quality of education has continually declined as the Federal government has poured more money into the system?

This is an important point.

The federal government began pouring money into the system when it was decided that every American child ought to be obliged to complete high school.

But in reality, how is anyone supposed to function today without at the very minimum an American high school education? Internationally, it's really not at a high academic standard (at least without APs).

I have trouble imagining how you wouldn't be condemning everyone who doesn't finish high school to a pretty terrible economic outlook.