1) As a secondary-ed major, I did a pre-master's thesis on ways to change the education system in this country, not only to save people money (including the government), but also to better educate those students who WANT to be there, as well as give them more chioces in their adolescent lives that they've been begging to have since the dawn of time. My views on public education in this country and what I feel should be altered is a whole other blog, though, and it was not well-received by many of my fellow education majors. It must have struck a nerve with the professors at ISU because it was chosen to be read at an event attended by loads of educators and future educators. HA!

That said, I would not be opposed to a system where parents/students selected their own school within a district; however, I think the students should be required to submit a paper with reasons why they want to go their school of choice, and why they think that they should be selected over another would-be student. Because if we don't hold students to higher expectations, public schools will still be in the same situation over time regardless of change. I mean, many of our public schools in B-N have issues, not due to the teaching staff, but the students! A) There is very little, if any, disciplinary action that can be taken against students who are disruptive and disrespectful, and B) many of said students interfere with the education of those students who WANT to learn--this was my main concern while a sub in District 87/Unit 5!!

Now for the "kicker" question: No, the government should not be paying for religious and/or private education via vouchers or anything else. Although I'm a Christian person, I'm a firm believer in the Separation of Church and State. Now, if an individual leaves funding for a voucher to be awarded to a future student, that's fine. My late Aunt Kay left a significant amount of money to be used for one potential student per year to attend Christ Lutheran School in Peoria, and my nephew was one of them. Her funding lasted ten years.

2) No. We have enough things separating our kids...and the gov doesn't need to segregate kids by religion. If parents want to do that....I guess thats their choice...but it's hard to think how those children will not grow up with a bias with people with different ideas.

3) On my taxes i get to pick whether I support the public or catholic school division. I'm sending my kids to a French Immersion school that's funded through the regular public system, so I check Public. My parents sent me to a Catholic school, so they paid their taxes to that. Worked for us.

4) I come from a family of public school educators. I went to Catholic school for 6 years. My education in English was complete by the time I departed the yardstick of Sister Mary Frances in 6th grade. That being said, we chose to sacrifice and send or kids to private school. All 3 went for various lengths of time. I still think it comes down to parental involvement Kids will not succeed no matter what kind of learning environment they are in, if the parents don't stay very involved on a daily basis. I don't quite get how the magnet schools work but I do believe in separation of church and state.

5) I think in our current state as a nation it would be a very bad idea to fund religious schools. There is so much polarity and discrimination and ethnocentricity, that it would only encourage the nut jobs further and validate their positions on 'we are right and you are wrong', or 'you're going to hell, but I'm not', but I do think that in the future if we can become a reasonable, moderate people, that we could encourage religion to be a bigger part of our daily lives.
My public education experience totally failed me, or I failed it, but that doesn't mean that I think it should be scrapped and everyone who wants to should be able go to Catholic school, or Muslim school, or whatever...
I had the most non-traditional last year of high school that one can possibly have. I was home-schooled with another family, and finished my Junior and Senior year in about 8 months of 4 days a week, 4 hours a day. I was able to blow through my coursework because I wasn't subjected to bad teachers that had given up years ago(I had one that spent the entire class in the teacher's lounge), kids that were disciplined challenged, or the social environment that took me away from caring about class and homework, but mostly I was responsible for participating in or allowing those distractions. I was ready to make a change, and my parents supported me.
I think it's a shame and frankly ignorant to blame the failing school system on poor educators or kids with discipline problems. I strongly believe that an education, or any experience in life, is shaped and motivated by the individual who is involved in it, and their support group, or family.
The teacher who ran detention in my high school(who I got to know pretty well), was one of the most honest and enlightened individuals I ever met throughout my entire schooling years. He used to tell us that 'if this isn't working for you then find something that is. Don't waste your life here when you could be productive in another environment.'
I never knew I had a choice...

6) Matt, I couldn't possibly agree more with this statement: "I strongly believe that an education, or any experience in life, is shaped and motivated by the individual who is involved in it, and their support group, or family." I have a plaque my husband is supposed to be hanging in my classroom for me that says, "Teachers open the door, but the student must choose to walk through." There are bad educators, no doubt. But most of them are good, and most of them care. And if students would use them as they should, students could walk away from their educational experience with so much more than many do.
As with anything, you get out of it what you put into it.

Sorry, Angi, I know this has nothing to do with vouchers. Matt's words just struck a chord with me, as this idea is going to be my motto this year.

7) While I cannot say that I want religion taught in a public school - I do think that things are taken to the extreme nowdays when we have protests about saying the Pledge of Allegiance because it has the word God in it. I always want to ask the parents who protest if they are going to quit using American money - after all - it has God's name on it also.

as for the vouchers - in some ways I am for them and - being in Mississippi - in some ways I am against them. I think a voucher system here in the Southe would only serve to segregate the school system again and then we would run into all kinds of civil rights issues. Racism and segregation already rear their ugly heads around here enough.

8) I am all for vouchers. Some public schools are excellent. New Trier comes to mind and I would love to send my kids there, but I dont live in Winnetka.

Fortunately I can afford to send my kids to private schools. My daughter went to St. Agnes and is now at SHG. We live near the new public Vachel Lindsey grade school and my 5 year old will be starting kindergarden there and then transfer to Christ the King (my alma mater) in 3rd grade.

The reason I support vouchers is for those good kids who are stuck in bad schools and dont have the financial means to attend a private school. True, private schools dont have to accept everyone and I think this is a good thing. Why should they allow disruptive students, gangbangers, dopers (not that there are not dopers in private schools), etc..in school to ruin the experience for the good kids.

If it is truly about the kids and allowing them to get the best education possible then I think vouchers are a must. If it is about protecting the jobs and pensions of the teachers, and the administrators in public schools, then vouchers should not be allowed.

To me it is really rather obvious what needs to be done.

The thing that baffles me is why more black leaders dont support vouchers. The only conclusion that i can draw is that they are in bed with the teachers unions. Why wouldnt they want the good minority students, of which there are many, to better themselves and learn in a safer environment.

Finallly, I think competition for the voucher dollar will force many of the public schools to improve. Today we already spend more dollar per student in public schools than we do in private schools and yet private schools turn out better results. True there are some recent studies that show no difference between public and private schools but if you study the research you will find that there are "equalization" factors given to the public school kids.

9) I'm for all the options we can give parents and students. If your child learns in the typical school environment, great. SO MANY children have different learning styles and if vouchers and special schools will help meet those needs, wonderful!

Teaching religion in schools - religion classes about the world's religions and how they have affected history, culture, etc. -- yes. Information on other religions is not a threat to one's own beliefs.
Teaching religion the way church, synagogues and temples do -- no. That's all a matter of faith and belief, not fact. "Just the facts, ma'am."

10) Ditto to Pegi. Exactly.

11) Courtney, we agree so often I think you might be my child.

12) Rick, what exactly do black leaders and teacher unions have to do with one another?
If we had a voucher system, it would only make bad schools even worse. I agree the system needs to be revamped, but I don't know that's the way to do it.

13) Mrs. Shoo,

I dont know what they have to do with one another. Like I said, I dont understand why black leaders dont support vouchers. Minority students are likely the ones who will benefit the most from a voucher system.

Regarding your comment that 'vouchers would only make bad schools worse', I have a couple of comments:

1. If a school is bad, then it is bad. Why would you want to continue to support a school that is bad.

2. I dont understand how it would make bad schools worse. Are you suggesting that money is a factor? I disagree. Private schools for the most part spend less per student than do public schools.

3. Dont you think that if the administrators saw their gravy train disappearing they wouldnt take drastic action to IMPROVE their schools and make them more desirable to students?

My question to you is why would you want to punish the kid and force them, through economics, to stay in a bad school?

I dont have a problem with public schools at all. In fact, I want them to do better. But, today, they are, in general, a failure.