The Public Education Dilemma

Thursday, 19 March 2009 15:37

On March 10, President Obama spoke vaguely of his intentions to improve the system of public education in America. Some may view this as a worthy goal; but those of us who have kept our eyes on the Department of Education will see the numerous faults committed by the gradual increase of bureaucracy in the area of education. Despite the cries of the populace to restore public education, are Obama's ideas really going to solve anything? Perhaps a better question is should the federal government be the one to carry out the solution, whatever it may be?

A major part of President Obama’s education plans revolve around "recruit[ing], prepar[ing], retain[ing] and reward[ing] America's teachers." Consider the following outline, taken from the President's campaign website:

Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

There are several disturbing positions made in the statement. Let's look at each case:

1). "Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them." On what basis will pay be increased? As former Milwaukee public school teacher Kurt Williamson expressed in his most recent article for The New American, bonuses awarded based on student grades or test scores end up rewarding those teachers who give their students high marks. What happens to the unseen educator who works solely for his/her students; who teaches them how to learn and not just what to learn; who expects his/her students to perform at their very best and doesn't hand out A's just because it is "good work"? Having a father as a high school science teacher, I have witnessed his frustration when administrators try to interfere with his interaction with the students. For example, when school authorities require him to follow the generic district goals instead of the specialized requirements of his area of expertise, the real learning needs of the students are lost behind a thick fence of grades and technicalities. Remember, the true purpose of public education is to expertly guide and train, not to advance any socio-political agenda.

2). "Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities." Local public school districts are suddenly, for the first time in decades, enabled to provide for their own? And all thanks to the Department of Education! Wait just a minute—the states and the counties are the ones who should be in charge of their districts. It would take a load of money and work off the hands Washington if all these district difficulties were solved on the level where they originated: local. The "underserved districts" would likely benefit from being in control of their own resources and finances. Here is one additional thought: what is the interpretation of an "accomplished educator?" Teachers with a Ph.D. in their field of choice? Or perhaps teachers with the highest student popularity?

3). "And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well." Again, what defines consistent excellence in the classroom? There are so many possible variables for success all interpreted so differently that the rewarding of such success is too enormous a task to be delegated to the federal level of government. Additionally, by what standard or scale will teachers' work be evaluated? Can one ever really measure in concrete terms the extent of an educator's touch upon the minds and lives of their students?

Truly, the Constitutional method of solving the public education dilemma comes down to handing jurisdiction over education back to the states where it originally resided.

For more on this issue please visit the Education Issues page for The John Birch Society.

Writing for fun and for profit since childhood, Belinda Z. is a homeschooled high school student who is a strong advocate for constitutionally-limited government and hopes to make a difference in politics someday.

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