Private Funding In Public Schools
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-02-03/private-funding-public-schools
Public schools face huge challenges today. President Obama recently called for greater investments in education and innovation. At the same time, a growing number of states and cities teeter on the edge of bankruptcy. Cash-strapped school districts are relying more and more on private funding to close budget gaps. Corporations and foundations now offer schools free curriculum, teacher training -- even buying the rights to name cafeterias. Some critics fear these actions will lead to the commercialization of school – a place where many believe students should be free from advertising. Diane and her guests discuss the benefits and drawbacks of private funding in public schools.
Guests
Susan Linn
Director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. She is the author of "Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood."
Brett Pawlowski
president of DeHavilland Associates and publisher of the K-12 Partnership Report newsletter.
Fawn Johnson
education correspondent with National Journal
Michelle Pierre-Farid
Executive Director of New Leaders for New Schools in Washington, D.C.
Comments
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I believe all advertising should be pulled from all schools, even colleges. Five year olds, fifteen year olds and twenty five year olds mimic what they see and hear and read - parrotlike -until they mature. Schools intent on creating children with specific view points limit access to a 360 view of issues. A school in a shopping center hits me like a church in a shopping center - something is discordant about that. I suggest we privatize all school sports as these are the suckers in our budgets. Maintaining all the fields, equipment, tennis shoes, weight rooms, trainers, etc. sucks the money from education. We are lagging in every content area in the world. Privatize sports and if you want to play then sell cookies, wrapping paper, and Passbook Savings Books to your neighbors and let companies sponsor them - make sports a business (which it has become). Tax goods and services for education, not property, and distribute accordingly. Schools should be open from 8:00 - 1:00 and send students home for lunch. If a teacher believes a child is being starved then make the report, as required by present law, to Child Protective Services for family support. Educators or social workers or psychologists or vendor managers? What do we really want from those we call "Teachers?"
These companies will only invest in opportunities that they believe will return to THEM a profit. There is no guarantee of the students interest, which should be considered first.
I think there should not be advertising in schools. The wealthiest schools would naturally attract the most advertising (potential clients can spend more). And children are subjected to enough advertising throughout their worlds - the school should limit confusion, so children can focus on their studies -- not be thinking about the new computer they just saw advertised out in the hall - or similar situation.
As for the Ohio Lottery -- the money was supposed to go to the schools in the state. Apparently, the elected Ohio officials cooked up a scam whereby any money that goes to a school is deducted from the money they would have received from the general fund (property taxes). So we now have a form of taxation with no vote required to pass it.
As for people whom have no children on purpose -- if you go to the hospital and are treated by a young nurse -- would you rather she/he had a good education or is it okay if they don't spell and or write well? Or what if there are not enough nurses because they could not qualify for nursing school?
Sports are fine, but it is too much of a focus in my opinion. Why don't we have a special field for science or an arena for math? Why aren't there sociology cheerleaders? People (teachers, administrators & politicians) need to look for new ways to attract our kids to the important foundation of education they will need to keep our country strong, free and competitive in this world?
If you are concerned about the affect of commercial interests on education you need to take a deeper analysis. I propose that the effects over the last few decades are visible and obvious.
Even the kids know that public schools are not about them...
1. All the talk is about MONEY in education - a clear miss on the values or the issues.
2. Commercial interests have undermined public education so that it can get those public dollars in so many ways with low expense to them - like the $100 Textbook game by states - many countries teach the three R's without - this is a horrible scheme of bad ideas and kickbacks, the $50 million dollar high school building contracts for frieds of the school board.
3. Commercial interests dictate that education is designed to 'get skills for a good job' - demoting it to training - which most companies don't want to or won't provide after they hire - complaining they need more H1-B's t to hire well 'educated' foreigners, who have STEM skills. They would love more 'Private schools' and 'vouchers' to get more of those free public dollars to build the elitest culture that commercially trained leaders love.
Try to discuss accountability in schools, and identify the corporate culture that has replaced human rights and potentials with profits and dollar signs to understand and solve the problems in schools.
Well, some of the modern thought about school vouchers is that you can choose any type of schooling for your children or even choose to homeschool them. This would help to raise standards and save money. Private schools do not have to be elitiest, in fact there are many art based, ecologically based and other "out-of-the box" types of schools out there that are fairly priced and are child centered. If we want to raise great thinkers, then these alternative schools that are not bound by government mandates like NCLB are some of the best options for kids, but not everyone can afford these. If there were vouchers, every child's family would get a choice and the school options would become much more diverse. I am willing to guess that if this happens, public schools will need to improve their quality to be more appealing than the competition. Maybe this sounds too simplistic, but in theory it is worth thinking about. I would imagine many community based schools would begin to emerge as well.
I used to think that school vouchers would weaken the public schools, but as a teacher, who is continuing to pursue my own education and pondering where I want to teach, I have been able to see first hand how much better the quality of education is in private schools, even when compared to my local school district which is supposed to be one of the best in the country. A better quality of education has so much to do with teachers being able to meet individual needs and interests and tailor the lessons to their students, instead of teaching an outdated cirriculum and making sure the group passes standardized tests. I am shocked that the school system has our kids until they are 18 years old and they are coming away with only a basic education- if they make it through. These graduating young adults have not had much opportunity to explore interests or develop specific skills in all that time. We can do so much better than this.
It is false premise & false reasoning to think that 'competition' for money
will improve education & this is just part of the 'commercial interest'
propaganda aimed at 'privatizing' the public commons in all its forms,
removing this as the foundation of our society & replacing it
with the elite oligarcies model, just like the rule in foreign nations.
It is unfounded, & not used abroad, except where only the upper economic 10 % can afford education, & private higher education is available only to the 'rich' like India & China, Mexico.
They still graduate more STEM majors than the US because their populations
are so large - & most of them come here to US or go to EU corporations.
By my experience BRIC countries turn out great PhD engineers & scientists
& have watched them replace natural born Americans in the
workplace as corporations refuse to train their own workforce, driving the
transfer of sons & funds from rich foreign families in to their profit
margins, & transforming many aspects of global civilization.
This is happening without the cultural foundation of human rights we fought for,
These foreign engineers do not drive the American values in their outlook for
the future-not raised that way. It is up to America to keep the ideals of the
founding fathers in mind & promote them. Public schools were & shoudl be the
fountain of the melting pot to support the freedoms & institutions we have today.
That same cultural foundation is eroding in the schools as we speak
& almost completely absent from any of these discussions or from most
classrooms in America today.
Corporations are not democratic, not even American - & most look to get around US laws/taxes.
We need to run & improve democracy, remove the excessive privileges from
'corporations' and a congress owned by private interests & reduce
the influence of commercialism in education.
Or just sell it out to Corps, & hope they will do a better job running it...
We agree with Dave C. It is unfair to fund public schools from property taxes in many states such as NY it has become out of control spending. Parents of the child should pay a tuition as well as other costs associatied with raising their children. I do not want to pay for other peoples children to play sports, band or free lunches. Yes, public schools should be privately funded.
NY Taxpayer