From a reader responding to "Still leaving children behind":
I notice that the printed response to “no child left behind” centers around money rather than improving education. It appears that some would-be journalists have chosen a different path because of money.
Some seem to be obsessed with educating those that don’t speak our language. If we were to move to a non English speaking country would those citizens be falling all over themselves to provide us with an education in our native language or would we be expected to learn their language? I think the answer is obvious.
The federal government does provide some financial support to education and they are asking for some proof that it is being well spent. Much of the criticism directed at the federal government is oriented around the level of funding since they feel it is inadequate.
I have a lot of respect for most teachers but I think there is some room in education system for improvement. First, a teacher should be judged on his or her performance just like their students are graded. Most people who work for a living are rewarded for how well they perform the job and not for just filling the position. In the business world (including journalism), organizations compete with like organizations and those that are the most successful are rewarded. I think there is a message here for our educational system.
Most recommended repairs to the educational system center around throwing more money at the problem rather than solving the problem. We have all heard about the inefficiencies in military contracts and I think there are similar occurrences in the world of education.
Everyone seems to want to blame George Bush for the current state of education but we didn’t get to this point in the past three years. Many of those casting the blame should look in the mirror because they have had a lot to do with creating the problem and with perpetuating it.
Written by a STop blog reader
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