When we think about the question: Why do we need public schools? An automatic grin comes to our faces, as it to say, “Duh”, everyone knows that! But do we? If the purpose and the need for the availability of public schools were so apparent, then the debate would not be as vivid as it is today. We constantly question the quality, and in some cases, with the availability of so many varieties of private schools, we tend to question the need for public schools.
But first, we must take a step back and think about what the forefathers had in mind when they decided to create a system that would make education available to everyone regardless of income, and since the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education, the availability of equal education regardless of race. So, what is the purpose of education? It is to give every child a right to have an education. Whether it is for the purpose of getting a good job when they reach the right age, preparing them for going on to institutions of higher learning if they choose to, or for them to become more informed, and therefore, more involved members of society. Or maybe it is to nurture an individual that encompasses all of these important characteristics.
So when we as do we need public schools? The answer is an overwhelming yes. As Nancy Kober stated in a publication called, Do We Still Need Public Schools, written for the Center on Education Policy in Washington D.C., “In a world without public schools …. there would be no guarantees that any of the missions of public education would remain a priority”. (15)
But first, we must take a step back and think about what the forefathers had in mind when they decided to create a system that would make education available to everyone regardless of income, and since the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education, the availability of equal education regardless of race. So, what is the purpose of education? It is to give every child a right to have an education. Whether it is for the purpose of getting a good job when they reach the right age, preparing them for going on to institutions of higher learning if they choose to, or for them to become more informed, and therefore, more involved members of society. Or maybe it is to nurture an individual that encompasses all of these important characteristics.
So when we as do we need public schools? The answer is an overwhelming yes. As Nancy Kober stated in a publication called, Do We Still Need Public Schools, written for the Center on Education Policy in Washington D.C., “In a world without public schools …. there would be no guarantees that any of the missions of public education would remain a priority”. (15)
1 comment:
I think it's argued over so much because people have different ideas about what students need to be educated for. Quite frankly, getting a job is a by-product of a good education, not the end-all. Workforce skills are not necessarily life skills or deliberative skills. And still, that is the main reason so many people give about the purpose of education. Me? I just want my students to learn how to think on their own, and know how to go out and find answers to their questions FOR THEMSELVES.
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