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Education Visionaries Must
Prevail |
 November
30, 2004
- When the framers were invited to the Philadelphia
Convention, it was to revamp the Articles of Confederation. Shays Rebellion,
difficulty raising revenue, and regulating foreign trade convinced many of
the need for a stronger national government. It was not anticipated, though,
the Articles would be scrapped or that James Madison would arrive with his
Virginia Plan in tow, outlining a proposal for an entirely different
organization of government. But he did and changed the whole course of our
history, the result of his innovative spirit and confidence in his ideas.
Like James Madison, there are many who believe that the present system of
public education can no longer provide an optimal performance on the same
set of worn tires. It needs more than just an infusion of money to control
the leaks and propensity to fall flat. It needs an entirely different set of
wheels to run smoothly and efficiently.
Visionaries, like James Madison, able to see beyond the present boundaries
and provide alternative solutions are trying to remedy the established
public education system. Like the framers were able to come to an agreement
about the type of Constitution our country needed, they have formulated
their plans but still have to convince the general populace that their
vision is the only sustainable course of action and that we cannot continue
mired in a system controlled by administrators and union reps whose only
stake in the process is the status quo because it serves to maintain their
present stature and income.
Competition in a free market prompts people to excel and continually pursue
greater achievements. This is why the United States is a prosperous country
and that our population as a whole lives much more comfortably than most
others around the world. Choice in education provides those needing
educational services more options and a competitive product. If a product
isn’t up to speed, people will not seek it out. Universal Tuition Tax
Credits are the only option that would allow consumers from any
socio/economic background the opportunity to pursue the education that best
fits their needs without drawing from public education dollars. There are
additional ways to insert competition into the public school system.
One suggestion worth considering has educators run the public educational
system by electing their principals. It’s worth noting that everyone has
been given the opportunity to change the present system of education in our
country except the teachers, who have been given no power in the system.
Teachers often fear losing their jobs or offending the principal or others
if they truly voice their opinions.
Electing the principal would remove the fear teachers have of expressing
their true beliefs about how things should go. It would also introduce an
element of competition. Next, principals would serve as the school board
members because they are infinitely more knowledgeable about how the tax
dollars should be spent in their district.
These same principals would elect one of their own to serve as
superintendent for a term –in charge of appointing and hiring teachers.
Teachers would no longer have to answer to untrained school boards and
administrators who are removed from the every day problems of the classroom.
Classroom teachers could simply vote out those who impede the educational
process.
If there must be a teacher union, it will be to do the job for which it was
established; to seek proper benefits and working conditions for the members.
That would be the extent of any union role in education.
It is the teachers who have the proper training and classroom experience
necessary to run the school system. It must be acknowledged that in the sum
of their practical experience and training lie the only answers to the
question of what works in education.
Solution to Problems in Education by Leslie Jack
http://way.to/education
We The People: The Citizen And The Constitution
Center for Civic Education 2002
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