You mentioned " Plano ISD is the highest" in regards to the amount of money spent per student by school districts. What's the number? I did not see any statistics? Where can someone find these numbers?
The statistics for the costs of direct instruction are presented at http://texas-ideas-progress.blogspot.com/2009/04/robert-canright-endorsement.html. Robert Canright got this information from the Texas Education Agency website http://www.tea.state.tx.us/. There is information about graduation rates at http://planoblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/06/study-says-plano-isds-class-of.html.
David – I think you are advocating anarchy – with every person choosing to do what he or she wants and no one making any decisions for the “corporate body of people”. I have lived in a foreign country that required some of this individual decision making and believe me, it was not very effective nor efficient. Democracy is based on an educated an electorate that hopefully acts for the benefit of the country, state, school district, etc. Sometimes what is best for the individual is not best for the group.If the current public school systems were effective then I would agree with you. However, the results speak for themselves. Below is a table showing the graduation rates for various entities.
Ex: a convict professes innocence but is convicted by a jury. Laws (passed by elected officials) require that he be restrained from mingling with the public. What is best for that individual (to go free) is probably not best for the community (assuming his guilt is valid).
Entity / Graduation Rate
USA / 69%
New Jersey / 82%
Texas / 65%
Nevada / 47%
http://planoblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/06/study-says-plano-isds-class-of.html
Plano / 78%
Allen / 95%
We already have language anarchy which is causing problems as follows:
- We grant drivers' licenses to people who cannot communicate in English so those people cause major problems when there is an accident, are stopped for a traffic violation, or need directions.
- We provide voting in foreign languages to people who cannot communicate in English which begs the question of how they got their USA citizenship.
- We allow students to move to the next grade in school even though their English is not adequate for their grade level by providing them language assistance instead of English instruction. The people hurt the most by this approach are Hispanics and other minorities that have very high dropout rates. Whereas, Asians who insist on their young people learning English very well have the lowest dropout rate.
Allowing people to make educational choices is more like allowing people to purchase various types of apples. No government official (in the USA) specifies how many, what type, or where apples will be produced or purchased. But many types of apples are readily available here from numerous sources; whereas, in nations (which I have visited) where apples are controlled there are shortages, a lack of varieties, and high prices.
Furthermore, the technology I am proposing for testing students (Pass For Pay) has been used for many years on college entrance, academic achievement, and professional certification exams. Allowing families to make educational choices will have the same results as the freedom we enjoy in choosing apples. Our current educational system has the same effects as is experienced in nations that limit apple choices.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Robert Canright recanright@gmail.com
Date: Dec 4, 2009 9:34 PM
Subject: Re: School Campus Choice
To: David Hall dhall.planoisd@gmail.com
The public schools have been an un-fixable mess for decades.
The Nation at Risk report came out in 1983 & the schools are still a mess.
We need freedom of choice in education.
Why do we have freedom of choice for killing babies in the womb but not freedom of choice in schools?
This is lunacy!
Robert
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