Sports and Education

Ever stop to think about why most schools have sports teams? Instantly, everyone knows the natural answer. Sports has much to teach students: teamwork, discipline, sportsmanship, mental and physical fortitude, health, etc.

All good answers, but are these things being accomplished? And shouldn't all students have a chance at this type of education? In our current system, only the best players get to be on a team. This is my problem with large schools...if the benefits of sports are so great, why can only 15 guys from a high school of 2,000 play on the basketball team? And whatever your answer is, does that justify failing to offer this opportunity to the rest?

Small schools provide much more opportunity for all students to experience the valuable lessons taught through sports. Whether interscholastic or intramural, the lessons are the same and more valuable, because the emphasis is rarely on "win at all costs."

We won last night, by the way...but we're not getting press in the Reading Eagle because we're not "official." That's all right...it's not about the press, it's about what these kids are learning.

Education Scores

In the last two weeks, we've heard news about how American kids are falling behind the world in test scores. Last week, it was 4th graders and today it was math and science scores. You could interpret this a several ways:

• The NEA way: WE NEED MORE MONEY!
• The Europeans Know Best way: We need to put our students on a track and withdraw funding if they change their minds. No wishy washy teenagers!
• The South Korean way: Students are lazy. They need to go to school from 9-5, then 7-10, and Saturday morning. They bring shame to their family if they score low!
• The Bush Republicans way: We need to strengthen the Department of Education to hold schools accountable to test scores. Federal Power can be used for good...it can cure racism, poverty and stupidity.
• The Democrats way: See "the NEA way"
• The Christian Right's way: See, that's what happens when you take God out of schools...Hell in a handbasket, ah well, the rapture will be here soon anyhow.
• The Socialists way: see "The Democrats Way"
• The Student's way: What do you mean? I got straight A's!
• Milton Friedman's way: Competition! We need competition to cause poor schools to fail and replace them with high quality.
• The Founder's way: Use the Bible, Shakespeare and McGuffy's Reader. Reading readiness? What's that?
• The Classical Liberal's way: Allow local control of the schools. Praise achievement whereby students gain confidence. Break up the monstrous districts that treat students like widgets. Use more than four textbook publishers so that texts don't all emanate from the same echo chamber. Study classic philosophy grounded in reason. For goodness sake, stop using students in social educational theory experiments! Education is not complicated.

Cost of Education

What does it cost to educate a child? Well, in 2005-2006, Berks County schools spent on average $10,477 per student. In that same county, I run a school that charges about $3,700 per student.

Question: are the public schools educating the children three times better than we are? If not, what's the big deal with allowing the parents at my school to receive a voucher to have more freedom to choose where their child goes to school?

Milton Friedman had it right. See here and here for video.