The Future of Education in America: Give the Power Back To The Parents!

I recently was led into debate and discussion as to whether America should keep the current public school (government school) system the way it is, or if we should try to privatize it. Now, before any of you get all bent out of shape and jump to conclusions without the proper information on this subject ( which I believe is a VERY important one) I think that we can all agree that there is something seriously wrong with our educational program here in the U.S. I would like to share my opinion on this matter and try to back it up with some of my research. This "one size fits all" system that is being shoved down the throats of the tax paying, hard working parent here in the United States is definitely broken, and needs to be fixed! I'm at the point right now that I would much rather home school my son than subject him to one more day of government education. It seems to me that ever since Jimmy Carter started the federal government's involvement into education, the quality and care of it has just slowly depleted. There is way to much unnecessary curriculum, and they have strayed form the basics that help kids in the real world. When I went to school,if a child didn’t know how to read before he got to school, he started learning right away. Not just reading but spelling, the multiplication tables, arithmetic and how to tell time. They were even taught penmanship. You know, how to hold your pen or pencil and write clearly? How many people today do you know whose scrawl rivals that of doctors? And when it comes to the way they hold their pens…. As for learning to get along with their peers, that was a natural progression of teacher influence and playground interaction. It also didn’t hurt that most parents were exactly that. Parents. They taught their children to behave, have respect for authority and not talk back to their teachers. Way back when, report cards were totally different from what they are today. First of all, you had to earn your grade. There was no such thing as social promotion. Even more shocking was that at least half the report card was devoted to…Shock! Amazement!.. something called Citizenship. You were actually graded on citizenship. Areas of concern included Courtesy, Cooperation, Obedience, Industry, Effort, Thrift, Dependability, Health, Neatness, Orderliness and Self-reliance. If a child was frequently sick or severely underweight, it wasn’t reported to the Child Protective Service. The teacher or principal talked to the parents and/or accepted a note from the doctor and the word of the parent. But it isn’t that way for a lot of kids today. Education has been dumbed down and many schools are little more than prisons with the teachers acting as wardens. If you doubt that, spend some time on the internet to find out how many schools have metal detectors and the number of weapons they’ve confiscated. School security guards routinely patrol student parking lots to spot weapons that the students forgot they had or didn’t hide sufficiently. High School graduates can barely read on an 8th grade level. Public education today is a lost cause in many parts of the country. Teachers and the better educators are fighting a valiant rear guard action, but it’s essentially a losing proposition. Federal regulation, federal funding, fantasyland promises of free college education for every child, escalating costs and a general dumbing down of the curriculum offered is destroying what’s left of quality education and preventing its revival in most instances. What’s left? Self-education, home schooling, Christian schools, private schools and internet-based schools. None of these answers are perfect, but they do work and work well. Betsy Devos, our new Secretary of Education, is all about a total reconstruction of our public education, and after reading her ideas, I am excited about the ideas and hope they take action to get this ball rolling. To quote her on her new Every Student Succeeds Act "The updated state template will ensure states are able to better serve students with the freedom and flexibility they deserve, and which Congress requires. My philosophy is simple: I trust parents, I trust teachers, and I trust local school leaders to do what's right for the children they serve. States, along with local educators and parents, are on the frontlines of ensuring every child has access to a quality education. The plans each state develops under the streamlined ESSA template will promote innovation, flexibility and accountability to ensure every child has a chance to learn and succeed." Sounds promising? I sincerely hope so. Liberals however, will argue over whether she will turn our educational system upside-down. Do the research before you start pointing fingers and accusations. I am all about debate, but please get your facts straight before you start your liberal rants! That being said, lets get one thing straight. Yes, education is very vital for every citizen in America if they want to succeed in life. The federal government however, should have NEVER gotten involved in this! And like so many other things that have been established on a State and local level for a reason, they continue to completely mess it up! Free market is way more officiant than government . Look at public school graduates vs private school students. The difference is non avoidable. Public students are retarded as a majority in this country. Take the tax money away from education, stop taxing allow individuals to save the money and choose which competitive school to send their kids to. Relying on Washington to set a one size fits all formula for the country is not only wrong but unconstitutional. Show me the clause allowing the federal government to control education, or anything other than the military for that matter, and it will be at the least tolerable. Taxes are too high individuals are relying too much on government because of it it's trickling down to tier children, creating a lazy non motivated society and work force. Education should be a parent’s responsibility, not an economic burden. Parents should also have more freedom to homeschool their children. I believe if we privatized the education system and made enrollment optional, the kids who want an education would be better able to get one. I also feel our national report card would look much more appealing. Public schools are filled today with students who are forced to be there. With a privatized education, students whose parents pay for education will be more motivated to succeed. This will create a competitive atmosphere. Students who go to school just to get their high school diploma will sadly only give you a minimum wage job in today's age. Give families with children a stipend, say $10,000, to spend on education. They can then go to any private school they want. Schools will compete, and in order for them to be profitable, they must offer great quality and efficiency. Now while education may not be a "fundamental right" under the Constitution, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment requires that when a state establishes a public school system, no child living in that state may be denied equal access to schooling. Education is (and always should forever be) a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. We as parents owe it to our children to raise them the right way. We owe it to them to provide them with all of the necessary tools to succeed in the real world. They are our future. Let us take control of our own future, and out of the hands of " big brother government".