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Re: [Phys-L] Private schools


On Jul 9, 2012, at 5:59 PM, John Denker wrote:

On 07/09/2012 12:59 PM, Larry Smith wrote:
I agree with the general tenor of this post,

:-)

in my state districts can also charter schools.

Yeah, I'm aware of that, but not knowledgeable about the details. By
default, I tend to lump district-chartered schools into the same category
as "magnet" schools. Different details, similar consequences, unless
there's something I'm missing.

This phenomenon messes up the already-confusing terminology, but AFAICT
it doesn't change the conceptual outlines of the problem.

Can somebody please suggest a good name (or amusing initialism? :-) for
the generic old-style publicly-funded non-charter non-magnet schools?

in Philadelphia they are called "neighborhood schools"... the schools where students go who do not win the lottery for charters, or are expelled from private or charters, or just your run-of-the-mill ordinary student whose parents are not interested or failed to follow up on applying elsewhere. Not everyone misbehaves or cannot make it academically,; however, the public neighborhood schools must accept and retain everyone who falls into the proper address requirements unless they pose such a threat that they are transferred to the disciplinary schools, of which there are a growing number in that district.


========================

On 07/09/2012 12:10 PM, Hugh Haskell wrote:
Can you imagine a 16year-old HS dropout with a $20,000 student loan
debt, underwritten by the fed. gov't? I'm sure there are
private-sector "educators" out there salivating over the prospect.

You don't have to imagine much. Just extrapolate a little bit. The
process has been going on for some time already.

There are lots of for-profits selling "SAT test prep" and "college
prep" courses to HS students, on the premise that what you learn in
HS won't get you into a decent college, and won't prepare you to survive
there even if you get in.

I reckon the premise is true, narrowly speaking, for some students.
My main question is how to figure out which of these "educators"
are actually offering a meaningful education (as opposed to just
pocketing the money).

A lot of non-profits (e.g. community colleges) are pitching the same
premise. Who needs a charter high school, when you can just enroll
in the local community college at the age of 13 or 14 and take all
your math, science, music, and foreign-language classes there?

========

Also note that one of the great "reforms" of the G. W. Bush years
was to make student loans /not/ dischargeable in bankruptcy.
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