School reform? First we need parenting reform
Photo by sidewalk flying/flickr.com
We are presently witnessing an historical moment of truth as one state government after another begins a budget massacre. Getting the axe first will be the softest target of them all – public education.
Aside from the obvious, immediate damage this does to public education, it shows how deep the belief in education goes in contemporary American society. The “real” social value of education to the public and to politicians these days is revealed – when budget cutting is the current issue, education gets it in the neck first. The only reasonably intelligent question that can be asked is, “Why?”
One possibility is that education is no longer as valued a part of the national belief system as it once was. Education seems to no longer be held as an investment in the future, but more of a fungible line item in a strained budget.
Why should it be this way? Here are some of the arguments being expressed:
- Has education made getting a job easier or even possible?
- Teachers are merely putting in their time to retirement.