discussion responds.

1.

Personally, I do not think that it is a good idea to privatize education due to several reasons; private corporate, for profit schools have limited credentials, the labor rights of teachers becomes threatened, and privatized schools can be regulated much less than public schools.

First, private schools around the country are subject to various regulations imposed by each state. In Connecticut, private schools are allowed to operate without being approved by the state. Accreditation is also optional within Connecticut. What this means is that schools can operate without any certification that they are a quality school, putting the child's educational experience at risk. While most private schools are accredited and approved, should an influx of public schools become private, that may change. Second, teachers at private schools in Connecticut are not required to have a teaching certificate. Nothing would stop private schools from hiring people without teaching certificates, or even teaching experience much less, which jeopardizes teachers labor rights. Teachers would be forced to give up their negotiating rights as many, likely unqualified people, would be able to work for much less, which again threatens the educational experience of the child. Teachers are also a staple of the middle class, so putting a significant number of them out of work or significantly reducing their income would put a burden on the economy and the country. Lastly, while Connecticut has somewhat strict regulations on private school curriculum, many states could be much more lenient towards private schools. Not regulating a curriculum would result in children not being able to learn the same things and some may lack skills compared to others.

Overall, I believe privatizing schools is a bad idea. Public education definitely has its shortcomings, but I think it'd be much more beneficial to focus efforts on improving our public schools than privatizing the system.

2.

Even though the current public education system is moderately atrocious, I think it may be too soon and drastic to call for all schools to be privatized. Privatized and public education both have positive outcomes and negative drawbacks.

A major benefit to privatized education is that many families will receive better education for the amount of money they are paying. Education would also be funded by an alternative source and alleviate some fiscal stress on the government. Also, privatization will allow for competition between schools. The biggest drawback to privatized education is many families might not be able to afford sending their children to private school. Exposure to different skills, sports, tasks, etc. is essential to learning and the formation of self-efficacy in adolescents. Privatizing education may make schools become specialized, decreasing children’s exposure to other skills and tasks.

An important benefit of public education is that public schools do not have a tuition or entry fees like private schools do. There are also no waiting list as public schools must provide space for every child in the county. Since public schools must offer space to every child in the community, many schools are overcrowded and individual help can be difficult. We must also remember that public education is deteriorating and something needs to change.

Considering what public schools are like right now, I would more than likely send my child to a private school. I believe that at private school my child would receive a better education.