Higher Education...Where is the debate?

In effortless terms, the current debate argues this....

Public Primary Education = Much Worse
Private Primary Education = Much Better

Public Secondary Education =Much Worse
Private Secondary Education = Much Better

Public Higher Education =?
Private Higher Education =?
For-profit Higher Education = Basically EVIL

So, while this trivial outline looks at this debate in the most simple of terms -- does it hold any truth? Are the messages that we are receiving leading to simplified labeling -- are these labels generally true or does it depend on location and tax bracket? The vast majority of time spent debating public vs. private is found in the primary and secondary levels, but what do people say about the institutions of higher education? Do they say "it depends on the school". Is the fact that students feel like they have more control over choosing their institution take the heated discussion off such institutions. But wait...what about those For Profit institutions of Higher Ed, oh -- that's right, they’re basically evil -- so we hear.

Are these for-profit schools taking all the heat away from the private vs. public discussion? Such institutions are accused of taking advantage of specific audiences; veterans will GI bills, single parents, and those coming from low income homes. Why do such businesses seek out these audiences -- because they assume that they are "easy targets". There are different types of accreditation, regional and national. While being "nationally-accredited" may sound more prestigious, it is quite the opposite. Schools that have regional accreditation also go by the names of Duke, Yale, and Harvard. While the accreditation debate is one that is on the forefront -- can this be something that is applied to primary and secondary schools. Accreditation is a process that evaluates all aspects of an institution -- in lieu of test scores. Are higher education institutions on to something, or will it just reinforce competition with winners and losers among primary and secondary education schools? Or, will accreditation continue to emphasize third-parties in the marketplace, such as those that grant national accreditation. The real concern in my opinion is viewing education as a business, for now, that is probably where the debate will stay.