For years there has been a public outcry to "fix" the PUBLIC
educational system of the United States. First of all, this will be
impossible, because "fix" cannot be defined.
Some say that "fix"
means to have better and more modern buildings. Some say to "fix" mean
to pay teachers more. Some say to "fix" means to have our students pass
progress tests. Some say to "fix" means to be able to have our students
more effectively compete in the world arena of science and business.
Some say to "fix' means give our students a better education in the
basics of reading, writing, and math. Some say to "fix" means to give
our students a more progressive, liberal education so they can live
fuller and more complete lives. Some say we need to "fix" the
educational system so students can choose what "they" want to do in life
sooner and enter college with direction and focus. And the reasons for
"fixing" the "broken" PUBLIC educational system go on and on.
I
think the PUBLIC educational system is broken and cannot be fixed. The
system is so bogged down in political bureaucracy, red tape, special
interests, union politics, under funding, misuse of funds, misdirection,
non-focus, status quo thinking, social rhetoric, unfunded programs,
broken political promises, and under staffed, under qualified, and under
paid administrators and teachers that the PUBLIC educational system can
never be fixed. It is an impossible task.
It is no wonder that
PRIVATE schools, alternative learning programs, home schooling, and
online curriculums are becoming more and more popular with the
"affluent" of our population. If you can afford a good education for
your student, parents are pulling their students out of PUBLIC schools
and enrolling them more and more in private programs of education.
It
is my opinion and the opinion of many concerned citizens that from
elementary school to college, our educational system, at its best, often
drives the natural love of learning out of our kids and replaces it
with such "skills" as following rules, keeping still and quiet, doing
what is expected, cheating or procrastinating. And that's why, in most
schools, being on time and sitting quietly are more important than
critical thinking and innovative production. To prosper in this economy,
students need to develop and master different skills - lifeskills such
as resourcefulness, curiosity, innovation, as well as logical and verbal
proficiency.
Most progressive educational professionals would
agree with Bill Gates who told our nation's governors last year that the
traditional urban high school is obsolete.
The reality of
education is that the system for the most part is outdated, too
expensive, and ineffective. Many educationally progressive countries
offer PUBLIC funding for education from Kindergarten through University,
where as in the United States most states don't offer Kindergarten
classes, and all Public Education stops at the end of High School.
The
primary reason we send our children to school is to enable them to
choose the career of their choice, earn a good living and enjoy all that
life has to offer. We all want to give our children the opportunity to
prosper and provide well for their families.
Here is what has to
be done if we are to give our citizens a better education which in turn
gives our country more productivity in the world economy.
1. We need to PRIVATIZE all education in our country.
2. Education will be "funded" but not controlled by our government.
3. Each family will be given a certain amount of money (voucher) for each student of each age.
4. Parents can use this voucher to educate their students as they choose at any school or institution of their choice.
5.
The government has NO say in the choices parents and students make. Our
tax dollars only go to "fund" PUBLIC education in the PRIVATE sector.
6.
When schools and institutions are made to "compete" for tuitions based
on the performance of the teachers and educators, the quality of
education will increase. If schools don't offer parents and students a
quality education, parents and students will go some place else, and the
school is out of business.
7. We need to also include a
government funded college education or trade school education for all
who want it. Most parents can't afford to send their students to
college. Only about one in 17 (5.8%) young people from the nation's
poorest families, those earning less than $35,377 a year, can expect to
earn a bachelor's degree by age 24. For those from the nation's
wealthiest families, those who earn about $85,000 or higher, it's better
than one in two (50%.) This University funding would also be on a
voucher basis also. There would still be private colleges who might not
need the money (vouchers), but for the most part most colleges would
welcome the money as a way to increase enrollment and increase the
quality of the education they offer.
8. The obvious results of
PRIVATIZING education is that not only schools would have to compete to
get the student, by offering a quality educational program, but teachers
could now offer their services in a FREE market. The fact is, the good
teachers would be paid more. Schools would have to offer the good
teachers more to keep them. If a good teacher could make twice as much
at another school, because they are better qualified and had a "parent
following," schools would have to get serious about offering teachers
more money. More people would want to become teachers if they could get
paid more. And just like in every business, in order to get the best,
you have to pay them more.
9. Online schools would become more and
more popular and accepted also. This is especially great for the
"inter-city" areas and "rural" areas, where education has been hard to
fund, and quality teachers hard to find.
10. On the "one student,
one voucher" system, all communities are now able to compete equally for
the best teachers and educators. Because of population (demand) in
large cities and communities, some schools would have to hire more
teachers. In the small cities they would need fewer teachers, but the
"money" is the same per student.
11. By PRIVATIZING education,
funded by the government with our tax dollars (as we currently do) we
would be able to save money. The United States could keep the PUBLIC
education budgets at a manageable level. Schools would have to compete
for the funding and just like the "price wars" of car dealers, furniture
stores, and all businesses, schools would have to continually strive to
give parents and students "MORE education" for their money. This is
Capitalism at its best.
12. The less government "control" of our
PUBLIC education, the better. Government would have NO say or control
whatsoever on the type of education parents chose for their students.
Government would only FUND educational choices based on the government's
education budget. The PRIVATE sector would have to compete just like
any other private business for the money by offering a better, quality
education to its customers (the parents and students.) The PUBLIC
education system for the most part now is a MONOPOLY and doesn't have to
"try harder." Just like the deregulation of the airlines, the telephone
companies, etc., prices would go down (or in this case stay down) based
on the economic rule of supply and demand. PRIVATIZING our PUBLIC
education answers ALL the problems we currently face in our current
PUBLIC education system.