The Trouble with Education: Taming the Beast

I was not that surprised to come across an editorial that tried to convince its readers that the problem (the beast) facing education today was the competitive global economy. The trouble with this theory is that it presupposes the innocence and super-ability of the students that are being tamed. This article effectively stated that the problem that kept students illiterate was the global economy -- get that straight and all will be educated. It's that same old line about throw more money at it and make it better. This is why I decided to write the following:

I found it interesting that your education article started out with the terms "good news" and moved quickly to using the image of a "beast." Coincidentally, these terms not only reflect the times in which we live, but also, the real problems we face with today's so-called educational program. If I may switch metaphors, the beast to be tamed is not the competitive global economy, but the "lost kids" you mentioned. That teachers should be paid larger salaries is unmistakably true, however, throwing money at the trainer will not tame the savage beast. Now, if you were to give the beast $6000 a year, then it might be persuaded to perform. Conversely, if you told the beast that it would not eat unless it performed, you might be surprised at the results also. It is more than apparent that this government education social experiment, of over a century, has not been successful. Dewey's socialist experiment was somewhat stable until around 1963. At that time, statistics show at dramatic change for the worse in the experiment. The condition of the "beast," as we see it today, is a direct, progressive, and lingering result of the fatal decisions made then. It would behoove our candidates to take a hard, fast look at what happened to the education system in 1963. What honestly caused the marked rise in teen pregnancy and teen crime together with the gradual decline in SAT scores during that period of history? Since to describe what happened would demand far greater text than I am afforded here, let me just hint that the answer was not a drop in teachers' salaries, and had nothing to do with the amount of special programs developed. One thing is for certain, we better find out what happened before the "de beast" gets wind of "de-bate."