Celebrate National School Choice Week with Reason in DC!

Celebrate the latest developments in school choice with Reason on Tuesday, January 29 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Reason magazine Managing Editor Katherine Mangu-Ward will take on the question of digital education in "Can Computers Replace Teachers?", an evening lecture at our Dupont Circle offices. 

• What: National School Choice Week Event
• When: Tuesday, January 29, 6:00 p.m. reception
• Where: 1747 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20009 (map: http://bit.ly/VNnCa4)

Beer, wine, and light refreshments will be served. Space is limited and RSVPs are required. RSVP to Cynthia Bell at 202-986-0916 or to [e-mail].

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Come with me if you want to conjugate."

[Liberty]

School choice is often treated as a cure-all for all our problems. But it is not. Our problems stem from a low-IQ, lazy populace. It doesn't matter how great the teacher is if all the student does is throw paper airplanes at them. Even if the student does try hard most students with IQs below 110 simply cannot master the subjects necessary to run the so-called "21st century economy." Much of the problem in terms of test scores stems from our nations great diversity. Asians in America do better than Asians in Asia, whites in America do better than whites in Europe.

[sarcasmic]

The point of school choice is competition.

School choice is not a cure-all, but allowing competition would improve education by allowing parents to remove their kids from crappy schools without having to change where they live. Then the crappy schools would have to improve or close. As it is there are no real incentives to improve, so crappy schools continue to suck.

Markets aren't perfect, but they always produce better results than government run monopolies.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It doesn't matter how great the teacher is if all the student does is throw paper airplanes at them.

As long as school choice doesn't mean schools have a hard time expelling students, at least those who want to learn can get away from the airplane throwers.

[Rasilio]

While it is true that School Choice is not a cure all the problem does not stem from a low iq lazy populace.

The problem stems from a factory school system designed at it's very core to stiffle individual or creative thought and foster conformity and collective approaches to problems. Switching to a system of school choice would not necessarily solve this, at least not universally as some if not most schools could and likely would continue using the same model however it does go a long way towards allowing the current broken model of education to be challenged and ultimately destroyed because with School Choice parents have the flexability to find schools that do allow their kids to flourish as individuals and at least some parents would do so.

You are also wrong about students with IQ's below 110 being unable to run the 21st century economy. Sure kids with IQ's of 95 are unlikely to go on to become great computer programmers or electrical engineers or Bio-Chemists, they are however perfectly capable of performing any number of critical jobs in the "new economy".

Remember, computers stop working if the HVAC system goes down and we are still at least a century away from robots replacing plummers. Hell one of the biggest shortages in workers today is CNC Machinists, a manual trade which does not require anything beyond low average intelligence.

[Copernicus]

Liberty: Your comment leads to one of two possible conclusions:
1. You are not an education "professional" and are unaware how to effectively teach, which explains your drivel.
2. You are an education "professional", which explains are poorly performing students (ie., YOU are the problem).

Also, you said: "Much of the problem in terms of test scores stems from our nations great diversity. Asians in America do better than Asians in Asia, whites in America do better than whites in Europe."
According to this, America is the place to be... so why is the diversity a problem? Or did you got your statement bassackwards?

[Copernicus]

*are poorly = our poorly
**got = get
/sheesh

[Heroic Mulatto]

Awesome!

I can't wait to hear Katherine Mangu-Ward bloviate about something she knows nothing about!

[LTC(ret) John]

Over the past few months, I have slowly started to get the feeling that you might not be a fan of Katherine's...?

[Heroic Mulatto]

Only when she spouts nonsense about how silicon snake oil will revolutionize the Education industry.