Santorum bashes public schools, says they're stuck in factory era

[chervilant]

85. Okay...

I think we agree about the caliber of public education pre- and post-mid sixties, although I would appreciate it if you would share the source of your data.

A seminal study of public education in the US (The Coleman Report, 1966) substantiated that the strongest predictors of academic achievement are a student's family and peers. Yet, instead of motivating educators to explore ways to capitalize on these important predictors, this study was "widely interpreted as saying that schools {do} not matter." Our system of public education--and the teachers who carry the responsibility of EDUCATING our children--has gotten short shrift ever since.

BTW, a plethora of studies from the 60s to the present have shown a strong correlation between parental involvement and student success. And I can count on one finger the number of parents who visited my classroom (2008-09, the lone year I was allowed to teach in a public school) to discuss their child's academic success.

IMHO, some of us "survive" our contemporary system of public education, and our critical thinking skills continue to stand us in good stead, despite having been rarely exercised in public schools. Perhaps we become the parents who encourage our children to value critical thinking, and to get a good education.