Recap: Should K-12 Education Be Privatized?

Did you miss last week’s Generation Citizen panel discussion, Should K-12 Education Be Privatized? You’re in luck! A video of the full discussion, including student questions and answers, is available on Youtube and will soon be live on Pace’s iTunes U page.

The discussion provided an in-depth look at American’s K-12 education system through a Q&A-style panel with Professors Matthew Bolton (Political Science), Dr. Barry Gold (Management), and Peter McDermott (Education), moderated by Generation Citizen secretary and Pace student Alvi Rashid. Over 40 students attended to join the conversation, in which the panel discussed the pros and cons of private education in the United States, as well as charter schools, which receive public funding but operate independently. All three professors offered different backgrounds and perspectives on the issue, from the differences between public schools in New Jersey to charter schools in NYC to Haiti and the UK. Ultimately, they’re asked to choose what they think would be the ideal structure for education in the U.S.: public, private, or some combination of both?

Generation Citizen empowers young people to engage and become active citizens. With the help of Democracy Coaches (DC), we teach a course in civics action to high school and middle school students using a pre-structured curriculum. If you’re interested in education and civic engagement, be sure to check out their upcoming events and learn more about how you can get involved with Generation Citizen!