Digital Education vs. the Ruling Elite

This piece from Gary North at LewRockwell.com is very interesting. I almost thought the aim of this article was to go after the university. It seems North is going after education in general if not merely K-12 public education. I must admit however I still have my bias against online education.

Here's something to consider:

The existing system of government-funded education is facing a technological challenge. The Web can deliver content for free. The model for this is Salman Khan's wonderful Khan Academy. Students from all over the world start with 1 + 1 = 2, and go from there through calculus. It is all done with free 10-minute YouTube videos.

He did this in his spare time just because he wanted to. Now he has funding to create an entire curriculum.

In contrast, this is the model of today's high school.

Right? Right! You know it. I know it. We have known it all our lives. It never improves. It gets more expensive. It gets less efficient. We know it has no hope. Every few years, reformers announce a "new, improved" approach. It is not widely adopted, and wherever it is adopted, scores get worse. They will call for reforms forever. The system will just get worse.

It is paid to get worse. Tax money is automatic. No one stands up locally and runs for the school board on this platform: "Let's cut the budget by 10% next year, and another 10% the year after next." That would be considered the equivalent of blasphemy. Yet we know the tax-funded schools will not improve. Anyone who is so naïve as to believe that the Next Great Reform will be successful throughout the country probably ought to be institutionalized – at a minimum, he should be kept away from sharp objects.

What I placed in bold. It's believeable isn't it? It's unheard of for someone to advocate for a cut in education. You'll start to hear about what about the children. But then it does make sense, especially if the public schools aren't exactly run in the best interest of the children.

Although we know people are opposed to charter schools. Last month, I found an article that decided to rip apart the accomplishment of Urban College Prep School that boasted of 100% of its graduating class (all-male) accepted into a university. I could say this person was biased against the charter school movement anyway.

One could wonder how such a mentality with regards to never cutting public education got started anyway?

Anyway read the whole thing, it gives you something to consider at least. Via Newsalert!