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Who Is Monitoring the Non-Public Schools?
North Miami Beach, Florida 2-24-2000 Aaron H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.
WHO IS MONITORING THE NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
I passed by a Church School today. There was a huge physical plant and a
steady stream of cars driving up to let children off. It seems to be a big
business. It occurred to me that these schools - and the non-parochial ones
(those called "private") are and have been a system quite different from the
public schools. Despite their being different and separate they are
supposedly monitored by the state educational authorities. I am willing to
bet that there is a particularistic, sectarian, philosophically elitist and
basically ethnically non-diverse kind of education delivered up by these
schools. An example of this kind of school is Bob Jones University before
which G.W. Bush appeared.
They have curricula that would not be recognized by the public school
authorities that monitored the education of all American children when the
public schools were at their height of popularity. I believe that these
sectarian schools - lumped together with "Charter" schools - are seedbeds
for the next kind of gifted children that we will see produced in the coming
decades. And, mind what I say here, I believe that the state having
authority over education routinely takes it for granted that what these
schools believe, do, and teach are fine, without scrutiny, without needing
much overseeing.
For some reason the backers of Public Education have not seen an urgent
need to demand that parity is given a chance to operate. If the content of
parochial education were actually examined closely can you believe that
education would be antithetical to democratic ideals? I think so. All the
heat is on the Public Schools while the Private and Parochial schools are
allowed a free pass.
What do we know about what is taught in those institutions? Would you be
willing to have your tax dollars given to them without strict tests? Since
they are not public don't you think they should adhere to a national
curriculum which puts this country's interests ahead of all others?
It seems to me that you and I are allowing the Public Schools to be trashed
and wasted. What are you willing to do about it?
Note from Carol: Aaron is incapable of not writing about education. Enough
already!
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