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After the Collapse of Public Schools is the fourth in a series of
books Richard Neal has written on the subject of freedom of choice
in education. It is the culmination of many years of research and
experience and covers topics not included in the author's previous
books. The key lessons revealed in this book are: The government's
interest in education can be satisfied while simultaneously
allowing maximum freedom of choice for all families. Without
certain essential prerequisites in place, there can be no true
freedom of choice. There are powerful lobbies in The Education
Establishment that willfully resist change. To them, freedom is the
enemy. Many obstacles are in the way of freedom of choice, most of
which are contrived to perpetuate the status quo. Striking
differences exist between "education" in government schools and
meaningful learning under freedom of choice True freedom in
education unleashes a bounty of new learning opportunities not
possible in government schools. The dominance of the government
monopoly in education is coming to an end as competition is allowed
to flourish. Technology is becoming an unstoppable force in
releasing students from compulsory attendance (incarceration?) in
government schools. Revealed in this book are the fundamental
guiding principles for effective learning, most of which are not
possible in public schools. This book provides a unique forecast of
what education will be like After the Collapse of Public Schools.
Large segments of the American public school system have been
failing for decades, and the pace of failure is accelerating -
thanks largely to the entrenched education establishment and
teacher unions. This book provides a panoramic view of these
failures, as well as an analysis of the failed attempts to improve
public education. The author brings to bear his extensive
experiences within the government school system to expose how
public education, for millions of students, has been a failure by
every meaningful measure. Achievement, as measured by test scores,
has been stagnant for years. The student dropout rate remains
shockingly high. Many high school graduates are not prepared either
for continuing education or meaningful employment. Hordes of
unassimilated immigrants are clogging the education process for
many of their classmates. Student misbehavior continues unabated.
Millions of students desert the public schools yearly for
home-schooling and other more valuable education experiences. All
of the politically correct and conventional attempts to save the
failing public schools have failed. Dumping more money on problems
seems to create more problems. Federal "aid" has been unproductive
and inserted the federal government further into public education
without any constitutional authority. The constant increases in
teacher salaries based on the universal "salary grid" have had no
positive impact on student learning. Billions of dollars have been
spent on reduction in class size with no benefit to education. The
requirements for teacher certification have become more demanding,
but with little benefit, if any, on student learning. School
districts and schools have grown bigger in a futile attempt to
improve education, causing more harm than good. While the public
thinks that if a school is "accredited" it must be good, in
reality, school accreditation is nothing more than certification of
a failed system. After reading this encyclopedia of failed attempts
to st
For many parents in many communities, the public schools are
failures. This book identifies and discusses the root causes of
this failure and offers specific remedies. The public schools are
extremely resistant to improvements because of the powerful
Education Establishment, composed of entrenched teacher unions and
school educrats and pandering politicians. The book discusses all
of the reasons that a monolithic and monopolistic school system
cannot meet the pluralistic needs of all children through a
one-size-fits-all model. The author explains why more money is not
the answer, how monopoly union bargaining has damaged the schools,
and how over-regulation has destroyed all hope of meaningful
improvements. The author exposes the myth that teachers are
overworked and underpaid, shows why it is almost impossible to fire
incompetent teachers, and provides reasons why merit pay is not the
answer. The author concludes that the only solution to the failing
government schools is through the introduction of school choice
without double taxation. This would put education back where it
belongs - in the hands of parents. The author cautions, however,
that any plan that keeps the government in charge of choices is
doomed to fail. The transition to choice will not be easy, because
it will be met with the full fury of The Education Establishment.
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