I wanted to pass along this interesting email (links added) from Kent Misegades, friend of the John Locke Foundation and Thales Academy.
While visiting with my wife’s relatives the past two weeks in Germany, I learned through friends that they have a form of vouchers in their state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Friends of ours sent their twin daughters to an exclusive, all-girl Catholic school instead of the local high school. Nearly all expenses were paid by the state government. In addition to the day school these girls attended, the school also boards children. It attracts girls from all over Europe; the language of lessons is German.
The school not only prepares girls for possible admission to college (the so-called “Gymnasium” curriculum), but it offers vocational education. Its apparel design and woodworking programs are quite well-respected.
When my wife attended school in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, it was possible to choose the high school you wished to attend. They have specializations. Her parents were not happy with the school closest to her town, so they had her transferred to a school in a different town. No big deal. There is no bussing in Germany; parents are expected to get their children to school somehow. Many, like my wife, rode a train every day (but don’t take this as my endorsement of this ancient form of transportation!).
Germany has a tradition of excellent vocational schools. Kids transfer into these at around age 14. They attend 2 years of classroom study and 2-3 years apprenticeship. Often the schools are provided by a particular trade organization, which may be counted as a private school in the OECD/PISA study. My guess is that most Americans would consider a private high school more along the lines of Cary Academy. A trade school is something quite different, however.
