Thank you for this article. It really resonated with me having left California public schools 4 years ago when my children were in 4th and 6th grade. While in CA, we paid a small fortune to live in a public district rated at “10”. Arriving in Texas in a more rural public school district, the learning gaps for both kids were glaring.
That said, even in our small rural public school district, it seems the things we were trying to escape are seeping in here now too. I can’t say why it’s happening - maybe COVID?
In any event, I’m just hoping to round out my kids education with simple nightly reading. Would you have a reading list for the 13-18 age range along the lines of the list offered here and in some of your other posts?
Again, I sincerely appreciate your insight and have hope for the children of this great nation.
Great article. I was wondering what your stance is on school choice. In states that already have it, does the state actually control the educational choices of families who participate? Or can it give families true freedom to choose the right school (or homeschool) for their children?
All of this is true with one exception. There is a very new trend for private schools to be affordable to even poor families. India has a plethora of these schools that turn out good students for about $5/month. I helped start a private school in Utah that doesn’t even own a building called BREAKOUT School. They learn outdoors about 70% of their day in parks, mountains, lakes, businesses, libraries, recreation centers, and the kids and parents love it. Most of the kids have an IEP and so tuition is covered by the state with NO interference. It’s groundbreaking. Also there is a new global trend in private schooling that I’m working on here in the USA having students engage in service/learning/internships instead of sports. They work in “in-house” businesses that the school runs, or are placed in groups of 2 or 3 in approved outside businesses to apprentice in. It’s a win-win because their efforts result in income for the school to offset their tuition. AND the student learns actual business skills and a work ethic that will help them thru life. So don’t assume that private schools are only for the wealthy. The dike has some significant cracks.
Thank you for this article. It really resonated with me having left California public schools 4 years ago when my children were in 4th and 6th grade. While in CA, we paid a small fortune to live in a public district rated at “10”. Arriving in Texas in a more rural public school district, the learning gaps for both kids were glaring.
That said, even in our small rural public school district, it seems the things we were trying to escape are seeping in here now too. I can’t say why it’s happening - maybe COVID?
In any event, I’m just hoping to round out my kids education with simple nightly reading. Would you have a reading list for the 13-18 age range along the lines of the list offered here and in some of your other posts?
Again, I sincerely appreciate your insight and have hope for the children of this great nation.
Great article. I was wondering what your stance is on school choice. In states that already have it, does the state actually control the educational choices of families who participate? Or can it give families true freedom to choose the right school (or homeschool) for their children?
All of this is true with one exception. There is a very new trend for private schools to be affordable to even poor families. India has a plethora of these schools that turn out good students for about $5/month. I helped start a private school in Utah that doesn’t even own a building called BREAKOUT School. They learn outdoors about 70% of their day in parks, mountains, lakes, businesses, libraries, recreation centers, and the kids and parents love it. Most of the kids have an IEP and so tuition is covered by the state with NO interference. It’s groundbreaking. Also there is a new global trend in private schooling that I’m working on here in the USA having students engage in service/learning/internships instead of sports. They work in “in-house” businesses that the school runs, or are placed in groups of 2 or 3 in approved outside businesses to apprentice in. It’s a win-win because their efforts result in income for the school to offset their tuition. AND the student learns actual business skills and a work ethic that will help them thru life. So don’t assume that private schools are only for the wealthy. The dike has some significant cracks.