Although currently beset by economic and political turmoil, the US public education system is still one of the most valuable institutions we possess as a people. The best local schools are those with the most parental involvement.
Throughout history, formal education has not been available to everyone. Even in the United States, early examples of tax-supported education like the Boston Latin School were open only to white boys. Only in the 1960s were US public schools open to boys and girls of every background. Even today, the quality of education differs from state to state and even from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Because public schools differ in quality and effectiveness, some people argue that they should be phased out in favor of private schools.
This is a bogus argument.
Public education is no more optional than our system of national defense. If some public schools are not operating as they should, the onus of improving them is on the agencies responsible for them and on the voters who decide who run the agencies.
| Public Education | Statistics | Curriculum |
| State legislators and the Pied Piper What are teachers for? The downside of computers in the early grades US Educators need to acknowledge reality US education is not about education Teacher or educator? Lowering the bar for teachers |
Common Core Schools neglecting English Parental choice in education |
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| High school is more important than college How educated are US eighth-graders? |
Class size matters Together but unequal Do multiple-choice tests measure learning? Tests and Grades |
Scarecrow Syndrome |