[JohnnyB]

A good public system is invaluable to the health of a state, but I believe very much that people should have the option to step outside that system. My memories of the mainstream public education system are that it was soul destroying. Since leaving Calgary I have also seen many sides of private education that aren't consistent with some of the stereotypes presented here, such as private programs for the students who are not excelling in public education as the public system isn’t a fit for them and doesn't accommodate them. Equality is, imo, not what a good education system should offer. More important is the system's capacity to cater to the individual needs and best interests of different families, but that's also not really the objective of public education. At heart there is a fundamental tension between a system that is designed to serve the interests of the state and a system that's designed to serve the interests of individual children and families.