Comments about ‘Letter: Multiple ways exist to improve education’

So what you envision is a group of home schoolers getting together, forming a co op, maybe buying a building down the road, picking up students as time goes on. Parents, most of whom don't have the time to become full time educators because they're working, would contribute financially to this educational enterprise. Remuneration could be paid to those who put the most time into the educational process. And you'd have come a long way back to where we are now. Everything you want can be achieved with what we already have. If you want to improve it, work with it.

Yes, the Heartland Institute. The same organization that gave us the teacher-bashing films "Waiting for Superman" and "Won't Back Down." The same organization that denies global warming, says that cigarette advertising does not target young people, that second-hand smoke is harmless, and whose leaked internal memo supports efforts "dissuading teachers from teaching science."

The unspoken premise behind all these proposals is that teachers don't actually do a very good job, could be eliminated, and should certainly never be trusted. How about instead of we actually listen to teachers, and pay attention to their recommendations. For starters, eliminate all standardized tests K-12. Teaching to the test is never a good idea. Or, here's a thought, pay 'em more.

Schools won't improve in Utah if the legislature has anything to say about it.