Lucas Green
Which of the following is a valid question in higher education? For many people in the United States public schooling ranks right up there with water. This, of course, does not mean that public schooling is not a great idea and is something that can benefit children. However, as noted above, there are many things about public schooling that just do not make sense.
One such thing is that, according to: the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the state of Massachusetts has no right to ask what the future of a student might be if he or she did not choose public schooling. That is to say, the state of Massachusetts cannot regulate what it will the future of a person if he or she did not choose to go to public school. It can only regulate what it will for a person to go to school if it allows those children to participate in public education. However, it is not entirely clear how the state of Massachusetts decides which children are likely to be successful in later life. After all, it is not necessarily because of the existence of the Massachusetts Guarantee Program that any of the future Massachusetts Students are going to be well-off.
The other question, which is a valid way to ask: what a question in higher education is this: whether or not standardized testing should be used as a means of determining who should go to school. While some have suggested that standardized testing should be used to determine the educational merits of students, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has refused to rule on this question. On its face, the Court has determined that the use of standardized testing is not a valid way to help determine who should go to school in Massachusetts. It has also determined that the legislature has the power to use the proper means of determining who should go to school, as it controls which educational facilities and services are provided through the public schools.
Therefore, the question which is a valid way to ask what a question in higher education is this: should standardized testing be used as a way of determining who should go to private school? The answer to this question can only be determined by the courts, which currently have no power to make such a determination. Parents, educators, and taxpayers have all were left in the dark. As a result, the educational establishment continues to operate with little to no regard for the views of citizens.
One of the reasons: that the use of standardized testing is not a valid way to decide who should go to private school is that it makes it impossible for public schools to offer the services that students need. No child will be able to receive the specialized services that he or she needs if these services are only available through the traditional public educational system. Private schools are also limited in their ability to provide the learning experiences which are necessary for a student to develop his or her full potential. Finally, in the case of a student who has demonstrated exceptional academic abilities, it would be extremely difficult for that student to transfer to a traditional educational setting if that student were to continue to demonstrate exceptional academic abilities while participating in a private school program.
In summary: the question which of the following represents a question within higher education is this: should standardized testing be used to determine whether a student’s transferability to a traditional educational setting is better than the options that are available to that student? Only the courts can answer this question once the Supreme Court has ruled that it is constitutional. Parents, educators, taxpayers, and students must continue to fight for the right to standardized testing. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the petitioners in pending cases and provide Americans with the opportunity to enjoy an equal choice between public and private schools.
