The Student Success Act—The End of Public Schools?
Last week on FOX News, Host Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery said, “there really shouldn’t be public schools anymore.” Before Democrats could shake their heads and say, “Those silly Republicans,” Steve Benen on The Rachel Maddow Show Blog, referencing Lisa’s statement, said, “what was once an unheard of idea is slowly becoming a little more common. For education proponents, this isn’t good news.”
Put this together with the proposed anti-public school changes under the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline’s Student Success Act (H.R. 5), one wonders if we are witnessing the last rites for America’s public schools.
Well, I’m not going to buy a black outfit anytime soon. I still believe in the strong voices for public education that can readily be found on social media. Like the students in Newark who staged a sit-in last week to oppose the draconian school reforms of Superintendent Cami Anderson. Or the parents in Germantown, Tennessee who nobly attempted to change, based on well-grounded research, the morning start time at their local high school. And there are many parents and teachers pushing back high-stakes testing and charter school takeovers.
Step-by-step Americans are fighting for their public schools.
However, the proposed changes to the ESEA (changed to No Child Left Behind under President G. W. Bush ) should raise a lot of questions. The Student Success Act is troubling for many reasons. And the bill is set for a vote already this Friday by the House of Representatives.
The bill focuses on limiting the federal government’s role in education, giving states and local education associations more power. Certainly the Feds have not been kind to The Student Success Act—The End of Public Schools?:
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