[Speed Gibson,
Friday September 5, 2008 at 4:22pm]
Hitting some Nerves on Education
I noticed earlier in this week's GOP convention speeches that a seemingly modest reference to education reform drew unexpectedly loud applause. I'll bet that Senator Obama did, too, when he said:
Senator McCain also got a big reaction when he said:
Both men seem to be promising still more Federal involvement in local public schools. Given the results to date, can we not all agree this would be a mistake? Didn't President Reagan ultimately have it right when he proposed ending this?
I suppose McCain's answer might be to withhold Title I and other subsidies if a school doesn't measure up. There is no reason to believe language that tough could get through the Senate, even the House. President George W. Bush tried this and got very little after Senator Kennedy gutted it, remember? Besides, such thresholds are almost impossible to define, especially a one size fits all national set of standards.
Whoever wins, this is one campaign promise I hope isn't kept.
"I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries, and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability."We can immediately dismiss that last statement given the teachers' unions presence and influence in Democratic Party. I'm sure the crowd reaction to the first part shook those Styrofoam columns, though.
Senator McCain also got a big reaction when he said:
"Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work."It's the classic kitchen table issue, something we all know about firsthand as students, and again as parents and taxpayers.
Both men seem to be promising still more Federal involvement in local public schools. Given the results to date, can we not all agree this would be a mistake? Didn't President Reagan ultimately have it right when he proposed ending this?
I suppose McCain's answer might be to withhold Title I and other subsidies if a school doesn't measure up. There is no reason to believe language that tough could get through the Senate, even the House. President George W. Bush tried this and got very little after Senator Kennedy gutted it, remember? Besides, such thresholds are almost impossible to define, especially a one size fits all national set of standards.
Whoever wins, this is one campaign promise I hope isn't kept.
I'm sure that Obama's speech sounded wonderful to the teacher's union. But as a parent with a child who will be entering school before the next presidential term is over, I'd rather have McCain in charge of the Department of Education.
I think vouchers will happen, eventually, for the simple reason that they work. It will happen sooner as more and more schools fall in the "failing" category under NCLB. It would happen sooner still if the provisions requiring parents to get vouchers if schools fail repeatedly. Both of these assume, of course, that conservatives do NOT let NCLB expire, as they are wont to do.
Private schools seem like they would have a much higher standard built in. Your child isn't learning? Enroll in a different private school where they excel.
In public school, if your student doesn't excel? Well, you are really quite stuck. Hence, the need to meet some sort of performance standards.
No. Clearly, if parents are empowered with choice, they are going to make sure that their children are attending schools where they are educated. No further answers needed.
On the other hand, if parents are going to be forced to send their kids to schools that may be failing without any alternatives for the students, then it makes sense that you need to have a third party enforcement educational achievement standards.
How is that possible if they don't have the tools to evaluate the education their children, the very same tools that the public schools go to great lengths to provide?
If my taxpayer dollars are going to private schools, why can't I have the same level of transparency and accountability I get from public schools?
In short, you are arguing that a monopoly is superior to the free market, when there is zero evidence of that being the case in any field of endeavor, INCLUDING education. Private schools generally do as well or better than public schools of the same demographic. Parochial schools do better than public schools. Home schools do gbetter than public schools. Charter schools do better than public schools. Public schools with nearby voucher schools do better than public schools! You seem unwilling to allow parents the FREEDOM to choose the best education for their own children. Why is that?