Re: Obama XXII: Occupy the White House
Who are the most enthusiastic opponants of private schools and vouchers? Why teachers unions of course, and their bought and paid for politicians. I served on the board of the Houston Preparatory School (which was modeled after Marva Collins' West Side Prep in Chicago). And I found the work they were doing for kids (many of whom had flunked out of HISD) was exemplary.
Years ago, 60 Minutes sent Morley Safer to West Side Prep to talk to Ms. Collins and the kids. At one point, Safer was interviewing a darling 10 year old girl, bright-eyed and full of personality. Safer asked her who her favorite author was. Her answer? "Chaucer." Safer looked like he'd been slapped in the face with a halibut. She may have been showing off. Maybe wanted to impress the old white guy. But the fact is, she knew there was somebody out there named Chaucer.
Consistently, from coast to coast, the strongest opposition to private schools has always and will always come from teachers unions. And they base this on their record of "achievement" with America's kids? Most teachers have it better now in terms of pay and benefits and working conditions than ever before. And their unions deserve the lion's share of the credit. Yet the number of inept, incompetent teachers is at an all time high. And no direct correlation between teacher compensation and student performance has been established. Union officials, when they're being honest, make it clear they aren't concerned so much with how well the kids do in class. They're concerned about pay, benefits and working conditions, the customary concerns of unions. Oh, and expanding the size of the membership, which translates to increased political clout.
Private schools will always be at the margins, but may serve to help rescue some kids from the maw of what passes for "public education" in too many of our big cities. And, might awaken some parents to how badly shortchanged their kids are in the hands of this governement monopoly.
