Competition in Schools

While doing a bit of research on Paterson for the Community Project, I stumbled upon a series of videos in which Governor Christie discusses the subject of education in Paterson. One of these videos features a screaming match between the governor and an unidentified male. Christie takes a verbal stance on competition in schools, to which the "opponent" refuses to listen. He claims that a school cannot succeed unless competition exists. I found this to be a rather interesting potential topic for debate. Can we succeed unless there is an opposing force pushing us to do better? Will we lack motivation without it? When money is at stake, will teachers work harder to push their students? I pondered this for a bit, and decided to search google for some opinions. On EducationNext I found an article that explains the monetary benefit to school competition. State funding is essentially pointless without the promise of improvement. Even if the schools themselves are not at odds with one another, it may benefit each school to believe they are. Goal-setting as an alternative may work, but unless there's something to lose, there's nothing to gain. Another point the article makes, is to make mention of private schools. If a local public school is demonstrating poor stats, those who can afford it will send their kids to a private school. In some cases the parent might risk the odds and apply to enroll their children in a charter school. In a town like Paterson, it is rather difficult to afford private school without scholarships. In the article (focusing on Florida schools) Cassandra M.D. Hart and David Figlio note that 

"because state school funding is tied to student enrollment, losing students to private schools means losing revenue. The threat of losing students to private schools may give schools greater incentive to cultivate parental satisfaction by operating more efficiently and improving the outcomes valued by students and parents." As a result of poor schooling, we may see lower mobility rates across the board. Therefore the added competition might be a viable option. Now, in New Jersey we have various factors that contribute to determining state aid. Referring back to the video, Christie responded to his opponent by stating that “nothing else in our society works without competition, and public education won’t work for everybody unless it does, too.” Mr. Christie, you have a valid point. Throughout our schooling we'll face a multitude of situations with competitive natures. Why should this be any different? Competition encourages success, and rewards achievement. Should there be a limit? Of course, but it IS necessary. 

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/13/chris-christie-to-heckler-public-schools-need-competition/#ixzz2RpeIdevv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kFhmh3r9pA

http://educationnext.org/does-competition-improve-public-schools/