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Flypaper

Worth considering

Worth considering
11.20.2009

In Australia, the government just agreed to provide more than $400 million in new funding to Catholic and other private schools in Victoria.*

Down Under and in numerous other Western nations (including England, Wales, parts of Canada,??Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands,??Austria, Belgium, Italy, Finland, Germany, and South Africa) private schools--often including religious schools--receive government aid in exchange for transparency and accountability.

And yet in America's inner cities, where great schools are in tragically short supply, we have seen thousands of safe, high-performing faith-based private schools permanently close their doors or go through this due to financial insolvency.

Many of my friends on the left consider the US woefully behind our international peers on a number of critical public policies. I hope they are willing to consider adding to their list state support for non-government schools in exchange for transparency and public accountability.

* Thanks to the commenter who pointed out an earlier error: Australia has states and territories.

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