West Wing Fantasy Camp: Things I'd Like to See under a New Administration - #2

#2: Won’t Get Schooled Again

Education can be the silver bullet. It’s the rising tide that lifts all boats. It’s the “opportunity” proceeding our “land of.” We have made great strides in this country, from an agrarian society with limited and localized education, to a system in which every child is not only able but required to have years of free education, and then the opportunity to go to colleges and universities which are the envy of much of the world. An educated populace is more engaged in elections, is better equipped to find well-paying jobs, is better able to create and develop new technologies and ideas, and less likely to turn to crime or fanaticism.

Yet, with each passing year, our student’s test scores, knowledge, and competitiveness decline. It’s an international punchline how little most Americans know about the rest of the world, or even our own history. Jay Leno makes hay of it on his mediocre talk show as each person laughs at someone who’s, frankly, no dumber than they are. Are American’s inherently dumber?

No, of course not. We are just as smart, just as clever, and even with our educational system in disarray we still spearhead some the greatest innovations in technology, entertainment, and science. The troubling signs of our diminishing returns, though, is all around us. People from around the globe used to flock to the United States to be educated and work in our superior industries.

Now, they flock elsewhere, and the American economy struggles as innovation declines. The best new cars are being designed in Japan, the biggest scientific breakthroughs coming out of Europe, and profitable green technologies being advanced almost anywhere but here. We’ve become a nation of the status quo. Where once we reached for the stars, we now strive to simply pass muster. No matter what it may say on the report cards we write, we are a nation of C students.

Is it any wonder, though? The base education of our populace, the foundation upon which all future character and knowledge is formed, is paid for with a paltry 70 Billion Dollars by the federal government, and then supplemented by local taxes which, in many of the poorest areas amount to very little. Compare this to the 500 Billion Dollars which we spend on defense, which then ends up being much higher when additional appropriations are added throughout the year, especially in this time of war. Of course, it is necessary to defend our freedoms and our country, but what kind of country is being left behind?

Money is not enough, however, to fix this problem. It takes commitment, and a real understanding of what is necessary. Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent per student, but much of that money and much of our classroom time is being mishandled and misappropriated. George W. Bush tried to make a symbolic move on the issue, back when he misleadingly labeled himself the “education President” before labeling himself even more misleadingly a “war Presdient.” The so-called “No Child Left Behind” law placed school districts under increased pressure to achieve on standardized tests or face a loss of already low funds. In return, the Bush administration didn’t even pay to fund the initiative.

So what is necessary? A lot. Firstly, a massive reorganization of the way schools are funded and held accountable. Money needs to go to educational necessities first and foremost, not to new sports equipment or administrator salaries. While sports and extra curricular activities are an important part of education, they shouldn’t get funding priority or Algebra and History. There needs to be greater involvement at the federal level to help insure that schools can collectively pool their resources when possible, and that there is not disparity between the education received in a rich district versus a poor one.

The solution to this last problem offered by the Republican party as been something called “school-vouchers.” Essentially, this would allow some students to receive money from the government to go towards paying for a private education if their public school is lacking. Where would this money come from?
Well, it would come out of the education budget, meaning that these students would be leaving their schools for supposedly greener pastures, and their former classmates would now have less money for their own educations. The problems, of course, are that this system would benefit only a few at the detriment of others; a sick reversal of the American ideal. Also, this assumes that private education is better, and while private schools tend to have smaller class sizes and better order, the education they provide is comparable to public education as far as test results go. Finally, due to the nature of the free market that these same Republicans think can solve all problems, as more students try to attend these private schools, demand for the limited spots will become greater and tuition will rise accordingly, meaning that these vouchers may not cover the costs and, if they do, will cost the government even more money that they will take away from public education.

So, we need to focus on repairing the system, and not on providing an out for only a few students. Another major step that needs to be taken is improvement in education infrastructure. Some schools end up sending children home early when it gets too cold in the winter or warm in the spring, all because they don’t have proper heating and air conditioning. Student projects are hindered by a limited and outdated library, or a lack of computers in the classrooms. Poorly maintained facilities also create an environment in which students feel like school is unimportant, boring, or just another obstacle to be waited through.

Once the buildings are better, they need to be filled with proper educators. Many teachers in our public school system don’t have degrees in the subjects they are teaching, and some teachers who have lost their effectiveness remain in place. The reason for this lowered standard is that there are too few people going into the field, and the reason for that is that educators are paid too little. A person who’s good in math would make more as a financial analyst than as a geometry teacher, so why would they choose the latter? Teaching positions should be highly valued and highly competitive. They should receive the respect of Generals and they pay of Wall Street traders. The best and the brightest should be recruited to pass on that knowledge and skill to the next generation.

In addition, there should be greater opportunity for all people, regardless of income, to further their education beyond high school. Publicly financed colleges and post-graduate schools should be available to those with limited financial means. The impoverished will always remain impoverished when they can’t get jobs that require a college degree without taking on massive loans that they may not be able to repay.

This will take guts, and the strong leadership that only a President can provide for this nation. Someone bold and brave enough to suggest seemingly radical ideas, such as year-round schooling, which would also take the financial burden off of parents who work during the summer and have to pay for child care. Lengthening the school day, so that more subjects can be taught in greater depth, rather than rushed in half-hour installments between gym, lunch, and assemblies. There should also be a greater focus on Socratic teaching methods that encourage students to explore, discuss, and tackle issues on their own rather than simply memorizing dates and facts for a standardized test; facts and dates that will soon be forgotten without any broader understanding.

It's time for a revolution in American education, to make us not only competitive, but the envy of the world. Other countries should look to our system for emulation. With a better educated populace, our industry and economy would again become dominant in this quickly changing global society, and here at home, we wouldn’t have to overcome the constant challenge of a divided political system where the weak and dumb can be tricked into voting for things with easy and comforting lies. If you need proof, look up the number of people who still believe Barack Obama is a muslim despite constant rebuttal, or that Saddam Hussein was involved with the attacks on September 11th despite all evidence to the contrary, or the shocking number of people who still believe that the universe is only 6,000 years old and science is somehow contrary to faith.