The state of our republic is not good.
Public school teachers, the key to a vibrant democracy and the guides for young people to the path for their pursuit of happiness, have been demonized and demoralized by the myopic No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It relies on fear, intimidation, threats and punishment rather than encouragement, competence and understanding. Among other failures, NCLB has resulted in failing schools, lack of quality teachers, lowering of standards, narrowing of curriculum, bad tests, fake results, factory style learning, the loss of competent teachers, drop outs and push outs, reduction in time for learning and stagnation. NCLB is so flawed that it needs to be repealed, scrapped altogether. Teachers have not been completely immobilized though: they have been learning in spite of the hostile conditions. Congress must craft legislation that reflects the expertise teachers bring to their work: teachers must be deeply involved in educational policy decisions because without our insights and support no solutions to real-world problems will be possible.
Meanwhile, as failure and drop-out rates for black students soar, the growing economic gap between rich and poor, reflected in schools funded primarily from local property taxes, ensures that rich districts get the best state education. As a country, we must finally adopt solutions to school funding that ensure a quality education for all students regardless of economic status. We must pay our teachers as if the future of our country depended on their success: which it does.
The gap between rich and poor is also affecting higher education. College is becoming unaffordable for a growing number of young people. Our graduates, from technical school to advanced academic degree programs, are saddled with enormous debt that will hang over their heads for the rest of their lives. Now, funding for the most needy students is being shut off as banks around the country such as U. S. Bank, Citi Bank and Key Bank refuse to create loans, especially for community college students because they are “less worthy than Ivy League students.”
We must fundamentally rethink our approach to education. We must begin to think of education as a right not a privilege for the few who can afford it. We know that for every dollar invested in providing education through the GI Bill for returning veterans after World War II, the country earned seven dollars in return. As a country we must invest in our young people by providing a free public education, for every willing and capable student, from non-compulsory early childhood through technical or graduate school. Books and housing should be included. We must ensure life-long learning opportunities for citizens that recognize their needs throughout their lives as they move from career to career. Returning students with children must have child and health care as part of their education packages. Young people will return that investment many times over throughout their lives.
