MDLedoux who-is-at aol.com escreveu:
> I know that vouchers and privatization will cause significant problems for US
> public education. However, there are large "homogenization" problems already
> present in our schools. Many private schools, especially Catholic and
> religious schools, have as their mission the education of the poorest
> students. Cardinal O'Connor in New York has regularly offered to take the
> poorest students in the city.
>
> I have no international data other than personal experience. In Honduras and
> Guatemala I have worked in two private, Catholic, secondary schools. More
> than 50% of the students were children of the non-working poor or children of
> the street. While public education and the history of education overall is
> very different from the US notion, and therefore comparisons are often
> inappropriate, there are some examples of excellent private schools in
> developing nations that have served the poor well.
>
> My quandary has also been to wonder why higher education believes that
> privatization is acceptable on the university level but not in basic
> education. Obviously the issues of access to power, prestige and resources
> make themselves manifest at the higher education level. Yet, there seems to
> be an acceptance of "paying for what you can afford" at this level.
>
> If we are attempting to strengthen school culture and build upon the cultural
> strengths of individuals, shouldn't there be support of attempts at schooling
> that enhances these areas of learning?
>
> Vouchers may not be the answer. Then again, they may cause the demise of the
> public education structure as we know it. None of us seem very happy with
> "business as usual." Maybe beginning over would be advantageous.
>
> Michael Ledoux
> Duquesne University