Talk:State school
I think this article could use a section - "history of public education" or something similiar →Raul654 05:40, Feb 16, 2004 (UTC)
It definitely also needs a section about the government's role in what students learn, and the debate as to whether the government should have such a role, like it does in most countries. Unfortunately, I question if anything I wrote on such a topic would constitute a NPOV. ShaneKing 06:11, 16 Feb 2004 (UTC)
- I'll look into doing it later in the week. Right now, it's 2 am and I have a horrible essay due in 8 hours. And I can't stop editing wiki :( →Raul654 06:48, Feb 16, 2004 (UTC)
Being married to a teacher in Wisconsin, I hear about school vourchers quite a bit. One of my wife's complaints revolves around the fact that private schools are not under the same regulations that public schools are. For instance, ESL programs, children with emotional disabilities - any of the "unfunded mandates" probably apply. I don't feel right adding to the article, but wanted to point out this other aspect.
Need Foreign POV
This article, as I have written it now, is probably very heavy on the American POV - sorry, I can't help it in this case. I'd like to see a country by country listing. →Raul654 07:48, Feb 17, 2004 (UTC)
I have started to expand this page. Pehaps there should be a "Public Education" 'stub' and this article can largely be moved to a new "Public Education in the United States". Other articles can be made for Canada (including Francophone Canada), the United Kingdom, Australia, and so forth...and articles on Continental European education can be integrated with articles about French "lyceés", German "gymnasium", and so forth. I am less aware of Japan, China, and other systems - but they can form the basis for further articles. ===Samo===Samo
If and only if we have enough material to create non-stubs for those seperate articles. Remember, subpages are considered harmful. So for now, leave everything here, and maybe (way down the road) if we have enough material to fill out Public education in Japan and public education in Germany and public education in Russia et al, we might consider moving the stuff out. →Raul654 20:25, Feb 18, 2004 (UTC)
A concern
Ok, I have a serious problem with the second sentence of this article:
It [public education] is necessary because modern society requires people capable of reading, writing, and doing basic mathematics.
It seems to me that this is an opinion being presented as a fact. I, for one, would dispute that public schools are necessary. I had changed this a few days ago so it said something to the effect that "proponents of public education argue this, but its critics respond with this". Someone evidently was not pleased with this and felt the need to change it back. I am just curious as to why this was, and whether or not we can reword it again so that it is objective but is also worded in a way that we can all live with? In any case, I don't think it is responsible to be making definitive assertions about how public education is necessary when this is a point that is up for debate.