Horribly offensive posters in school

Just proves what I've been saying for years, you have freedom of religion so long as your religion isn't Christian. And people (non-Christians) think I'm crazy when I say Christians are being persecuted in America today. But 75% of Americans call themselves Christian (according to a 2009 poll). Go figure.....

 

Yep, and we're the "intolerant" ones too. All the hate aimed at Christians sure makes me wonder what some people's ideas of what that word even means.

 

Actually Belgium does give out allowances to parents to send their child to whatever school they want and it seems to work quite well. Well, the money may go directly to the school but the point is it is not just one big government controlled monopoly. Some parents probably don't care but for the most part parents do care so the careless parents send their children to better schools because those who are making wise choices are keeping the best schools in the mix and letting the others fall to the wayside.

 

How do they determine which schools are the best? Is it just parental assessment? Or are they rated by the government based on test scores, etc?

 

In Belgium the money goes with the child..so if you don't like what they are teaching or not teaching at that school you can take the child out and go to another one. So if the schools don't do a good job ie: tests, classes offered (in secondary schooling 7-12 you start to specialize in a field) ,teaachers are mean/not doing a good job or whatever you feel is important to your childs education, they lose money and if enough children go they close up.
So its not really test scores that Belgium parents look at its an overall picture of what the schools are doing. Its that way for most of Europe too (overall enivorment and money being attached to the child not the schools).

 

Crystal gave the basic idea. Here are some links but they won't give you detailed idea of what parents do to decide.

http://www.expatica.com/be/essentia...belgian-school-system-1430_8296.html?ppager=0



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Belgium


I would have to ask you how you know which music instructor in town is the best or which ballet school or Karate instructor. I have to say I know which swim instructor my children did best under without any government assistance at all even though I'm not a swimmer. I personally believe their is no best school for everyone just what happens to be best for a specific child and their family circumstances. The more options there is the more likely the parents can find it and the child can succeed.

I would have to admit that the European educational system is better then ours by most measures and tests. Instead of dreaming about their crappy health care system perhaps we ought to be looking at their school systems as something of a good example.

 

My oldest son takes clarinet lessons at Music Store A. My second son takes drum lessons at Music Store B. After calling around and interviewing our options, I decided I liked these teachers the best and it didn't even occur to me to limit myself to the teachers at one particular music store. Oddly enough, several parents I know find this extremely odd. They say, "Why don't you switch Quin to ____ at Store A so they're taking at the same place?" When I ask why on Earth it would matter, they stare blankly.. but insist it makes the most sense. lol

 

Sorry I meant that rhetorically as in "Do you need the government to tell you where to take classes?".