We're a nation of American Suckers when it comes to Public School Bashing.

The rabid hatred of public schools by Republicans is spreading, thanks to the repetitive message and money spent on advertising “choice” and vilifying teachers. It’s called propaganda, and it works.

Take a look at this right wing article pushing the latest results of a Gallup opinion poll on public schools. The public’s perception, surprise, is just the opposite of the truth. We really are turning into the Bizarro World.

Among all types of U.S. educational institutions, Americans believe that public schools offer the worst quality of education, according to a new Gallup poll released Wednesday … the survey examined four types of U.S. schooling: charter schools, independent private schools, parochial or church-related schools, and homeschooling.

A mere 32 percent of respondents believe public schools provide a “good” education, while only 5 percent said they deliver an “excellent” education … combined 37 percent  was by far the lowest among all the types of schooling cited in Gallup’s survey.

CNSNews.com reported on the findings: Americans ranked independent private schools highest, with 31 percent saying they provide an excellent education and 47 percent saying they provide a good education — for a combined 78 percent who say they provide an excellent or good education.
Parochial and church-related schools ranked second, with 21 percent saying they provide an excellent education and 48 percent saying they provide a good education — for a combined 69 percent who say they provide an excellent or good education.

Charter schools came in third, with 17 percent saying they provide an excellent education and 43 percent saying they provide a good education — for a combined 60 percent positive rating.
Home schooling took fourth place, with 13 percent saying the educational practice offers an excellent education and 33 percent asserting that it delivers just a good education — for a combined 46 percent who gave home schooling a favorable rating.

Moreover, a sizable 19 percent of respondents believe public schools offer students a “poor” education, while only two percent said the same about independent private schools, and only five percent said that about charter schools and parochial or church-related schools; 14 percent of Americans believe homeschooling delivers students a poor education.
According to Gallup: “Americans are much more inclined to believe students in private, parochial, or charter schools receive a high-quality education than to say this about students in public schools and those who are home schooled. Americans in general are not highly satisfied with the state of public schooling in the United States, although that is probably not a commentary on their own child's school and schools in their local area because Americans have historically been quite satisfied with each of those.”

Quoted in the Washington Post’s blog “The Answer Sheet,” author Diane Ravitch says the Gallup poll is part of “an unprecedented, well-funded campaign to demonize public schools and their teachers.” 

Does repeating a lie over and over work? Guess so. The following adds to the already mountainous misinformation campaign of utter nonsense believed by the American public. A boost in achievement is a lie, and parents like to tell themselves they made the right decision despite child dissatisfaction, average scores and failing schools.

School vouchers are government-funded, making them hardly the perfect solution to reforming the education system. However, parental satisfaction, along with an exceptional boost in student achievement, of students in private schools — who previously attended public schools — shows why constitutionalists say that a government-monopolized education system has got to go.