ERODING PUBLIC EDUCATION

It is beyond amazing to me that the nominee for Secretary of Education, Ms. Betsy DeVos, was ever nominated for that post.  DeVos has long been an advocate for funneling money away from public schools and toward private educational options, including for-profit and Christian-based schools.

In short, she is not a big fan of public school education. 

Times are a’changing, I guess.  When I was a young man everyone I knew was respectful of our public schools.  No one I knew ever complained about money that went to improving our public schools and rewarding the teachers who worked there.  Teachers were in the same respected class as doctors.  And nothing was too good for the public school students as they were seen as the future of this nation. 

In short, money for education was never a contentious issue.

Unfortunately, today it is.  Forty-five states have had lawsuits challenging the failure of governors and legislators to provide essential resources for a constitutional education. 

Equally true was the trust that parents placed in the schools and their ability to educate, discipline, and constructively guide their children.  It was unheard of to have parents come to the school complaining about the grades their children received.

But, unfortunately, public schools are seen in a different light today and no one knows that better than the teachers who labor there.

It’s not just money that’s driving away our best teachers and dumbing down the education our young people receive.  The political class keeps imposing useless and time wasting requirements on our public school teachers.  All in the name of “improvement” but, actually, in the name of “useless bureaucracy.”

Many of our better teachers are quitting and seeking new professional careers. 

When both too-little money and lack of respect invade our public schools, it should get our attention.  Vouchers and funding for-profit education are the last things we need. 

Supporting our nation’s public school teachers should be our priority.  And, let’s start that trend by eliminating many of the useless politically-dictated busy-work requirements and allowing more time for student-teacher collaboration.

More on Tuesday, February 7th  –  –  –

                                  —Bill Walton, co-Founder, ITC Learning

        February 1, 2017

      www.itclearning.com/blog/  (Mondays & Wednesdays)

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 (This is a personal blog.  Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner, jhbillwalton@gmail.com, an independent consultant.  They do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity.)