Draconian DPS plan exposes societal intent to leave almost all children behind | MLive.com#wisolidarity #wiunion #weac

Draconian DPS plan exposes societal intent to leave almost all children behind | MLive.com

Draconian DPS plan exposes societal intent to leave almost all children behind

Published: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 9:25 AM Updated: Tuesday, February 22, 2011, 10:36 AM

By Jeff T. Wattrick | MLive.com
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News that state education officials will implement Robert Bobb’s “draconian” plan for the Detroit Public Schools sent the region into a tailspin of appropriate outrage and concern.

While there’s nothing particularly redeeming about a slash-and-burn system that crams 60 kids into a classroom, say this for the DPS nuclear option: It’s an honest reflection of our societal commitment to universal education.

Once upon a time, public education was created so all Americans could blossom into full citizens of a free society. A person capable of reading, writing, and performing basic mathematics could be sovereign over his own affairs. Universal instruction in history, literature, and the arts provided the perspective necessary to make informed and enlightened decisions about self-governance.

Today, the education system exists for the purposes of administering annual standardized tests.

If a student demonstrates proficiency completing a decade’s worth of Scantron slips, and is so