Hitting Some Nerves On Education PDF Print E-mail
Written by Speed Gibson   
Monday, 08 September 2008 08:34
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:
"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.

Cross-posted at Speed Gibson. Comments welcome.