I don’t know what would be the fairest way but I seriously doubt that we will get there unless we’re willing to change about how we think about education. The one idea I’ve heard so far that I liked has all the funding originate with state and then follow the student to any school, public or private. To make sure that “high risk” students are not dumped in local, poor schools, they would have even more money following them to make them more attractive. This would also account for the extra resources the school would need to have them meet standards.

Of course, I can just see it now, everyone would be trying to get their kids classified in this “neediest” category. You would also have the problem of testing and accountability. If a private school takes public money, they would have to meet certain requirements. And I don’t think homeschoolers should just get the cash handed to them. If they do receive any, they would have to meet the same accountability standards as the private schools.

Like I said, it would take a change in thinking. I used to be totally anti-private school voucher and I still am under the current situation. Why allow a parent to send their child to a school that does not have to meet any standards because the local public school failed to meet standards?

However, I have been thinking that we aren’t nearly as rabidly anti-public money going to private schools at the college level. You can get a student loan, pell grants, and other financial aid and still attend a private college. I know that colleges that accept federal financial aid have to meet certain accreditation requirements and so on but it is a working alternative to our current public school system.