What's your alternative to public education? You could privatize everything (like Betsy DeVos is trying to do right now) and put education directly into the hands of the corporations, or you could go the home schooling route, which to me at least is a recipe for disaster. It would make the kids completely dependent on the teaching skills of their parents. Some will no doubt be excellent, a lot will be completely shit and the majority will be meh. Not to mention, how do you combine home schooling with having a job?
The obvious solution is to make sure you have the best possible public education with good, qualified teachers (teachers should have the same pay and social status as doctors imo). That way everyone at least gets the basics, and it's not beholden to corporate interests or the whims of stupid parents. Some reforms would no doubt be needed, for instance: stop tying school funding to property taxes and stop electing school boards (that's why you have the constant attempts to insert creationism into science classes).
The masses are not kept under some sort of magic religious spell based on values, God, family etc....its all consumerist and or ideologically driven to become a victim of fear or some personal slight and BEG the government to intervene and save us. The U.S. is quickly becoming a nation of thin skinned crybabies who want to be saved. It used to be funny to poke fun at the religious fundies who wanted to be "saved" by their Lord and Savior. Now its everybody who has been insulted and rightly or wrongly and "feel" as if they are being oppressed by the very government they want to help save them and what is little left of this cultural mishmash of shit.
Democracy will only succeed if a the large majority shares some cultural and personal values.
Wouldn't a good way to ensure this be to have a common education for everyone?
As a side note: my personal opinion is that the US should be broken up into smaller countries of 5-10 million people each (same for every other large country). It would make it much easier to create a coherent, decent society at that scale, and no one would be in a position to become a hegemony. If you're a bleeding heart liberal you move to the Republic of Los Angeles, and if you're a fundie you move to Alabamistan.
Sure, hope is nice. It doesn't make a workable strategy. When people don't respect other people's beliefs or values then not a damn thing will get done in the way of progress.
I agree that there has been some excesses in political correctness lately, but the majority of it is just people saying that being an asshole is no longer consequence free. Values change over time and older people have always complained about it. I'm only 40 (still trying to decide: Harley or sail boat) but youth today are completely alien to me in some aspects, and that is a good thing.
"I only read American. I want my fantasy pure." - Dave
Interesting that you went from one extreme to the other here. It has to be either public education or the binary choice, corporations running schools. You have heard of private schools right? Contrary to popular leftist belief, they aren't all run by corporations. I gather you don't live in the U.S., but there are many excellent private schools. If you want to send your kid to a private school you will find a way to do it....if you actually give shit about their education. Fact is, many people don't. My dad was a teacher, and I know plenty of teachers who tell me many parents don't get off their lazy asses to even bother attending parent/teacher conferences. The Creationism thing is total dog whistle. NOBODY, I mean NOBODY I talk to, or listen when they are discussing school issues ever bring that topic up. Why would they? It simply isn't an issue. Its so fringe that its funny when people on RI bring it up. Sure, there might be some school districts where it has been an issue, but its such an extremely small minority that its inconsequential to the overall picture.
Parents are more concerned about discipline in classrooms, having quality teachers who are held accountable and programs for gifted students. Teachers who can bring to the classroom a shred of skill in teaching children how to think would be miraculous. Critical rational thinking, not the latest trend in pop culture. Parents are concerned that lazy or fearful principles allow crappy behavior to run out of control in the hallways. Its a real thing. It would be grand if teachers who fall asleep in the classroom are fired. Yes, its a real thing and my son experienced it first hand. I saw the photos fo the teacher asleep. She got fired, sued the school district and because of the union contract was able to get sizable parachute. Total BS and we parents were outraged. Meanwhile, in the next classroom over the female English lit teacher was having sex with one of her students. At least she was prosecuted and sent to prison. Parents with gifted students desperately want their kids challenged and to have the highest level of teachers, programs and material available for their children to excel. If you are on RI and have children in public schools then you know (one would hope) that the history classes taught are absolutely pathetic. Have you actually seen the textbooks? What a joke. I often had discussions with my kids about what was being taught in their history and "soc" classes and was appalled.
We're all concerned with school funding. The model in Ohio sucks and an alternative to property tax funding would be a great start.
"(teachers should have the same pay and social status as doctors imo)" - Here in normal people land a lot of folks think teachers are already overpaid. I personally don't think they are overpaid, but I believe union contracts allow for some who are less motivated to get lazy with no accountability.
Getting rid of school boards? Replace that DIRECT form of democracy with what? Fact is, school boards are elected by locals. What is the alternative? A larger government body that determines all things local? I think not. Parents who care know school boards are necessary to keep a form of democracy with the local schools. The values of what the locals want in their schools is part of what this is about. Removing local control and a say is not respecting what the local citizens want for their schools.