Turning Education Around - A Personal Vision

Here’s what I believe: To provide quality public education in America we simply must increase what we are willing to pay for it. We all know that “you get what you pay for,” and that the society is better off when its population is truly well educated, yet this is a hard concept to sell.

Every child in America needs to know how to read, how to speak and write proper English, how our government works, some rudimentary science, and how to perform calculations using at least basic arithmetic. Geography and history — state, national and world — should also be required, although the depth of study may vary with the student's goals in life. Now that we see how the international world of the 21st century is evolving, a case can be made for requiring computer skills and at least some foreign language. Right there you've got enough to fill most of a present school day, but we can do more.

English literature classes should teach the classics, including the great essayists and poets. History classes should include biographies of ancient and contemporary notables. Great plays, from Shakespeare to modern classics, should be taught in high school English classes -- with students encouraged to expand their horizons in a school-sponsored theater company.

Ranchers and policemen, doctors, lawyers and merchants, cooks and crossing guards and truck drivers all benefit from exposure to these arts. Steeped in the past and great works that were produced over the centuries, our children will develop a sense of our evolution and place in time; they will find models and inspiration and understanding of the present.

Foreign language should be taught as early as possible, preferably beginning in elementary school, and for at least two or three years at a stretch. Early study of another language leads to a better understanding of English, teaches the concept that there is a world beyond us, and builds the foundation for future proficiency in whatever language (including computer) the student may elect to study.

Every child, from the first grade on, should be instructed in the fine arts — music and the studio arts, in particular. From the primary grades, children should be taught the rudiments of the graphic arts. Dance can be incorporated into physical education classes (which should be required through all twelve grades). Children who wish to learn to play an instrument should be given the opportunity; choral music should be taught right along with appreciation of the classics, and interested students encouraged to join a school chorale or musical production group.

A lifetime connection with the arts, begun in school, will be a comfort and a pleasure throughout life. So much of the world around us is better understood — and enjoyed — when we have a broad foundation in the arts from the early years. I date the decline in our educational "product" from the decision, in the late 'fifties or early 'sixties (after Sputnik beat us into space), to refocus our public education on science and math.

Every eighth-grader should understand our political system, be required to read the national and international news section of a major newspaper or news magazine at least weekly, and to participate in classroom evaluations of the election process at election time. Too many Americans base their opinions on hearsay, talk shows, trash writings, and TV sound bites; worse yet, they impart their misinformation to their children who, without a decent civics education, perpetuate the problem.

You may say there just isn't time in the school day to teach all the new material there is, let alone all these "extras." There is no time or staff for extracurricular activities. And we certainly don't have the funds in our budget . . .

I say we go for broke: longer school days (with the fringe benefit of reducing the cost of child care for parents who must work outside the home, as well as reducing or eliminating the latchkey population and related opportunities for trouble); longer school years (that would also give teachers year-round employment); an exciting educational system that will attract the "best and brightest" teachers because they will be well paid and know they will be able to count on the respect and commitment of parents and students.

The outcome? Regardless of the number of youngsters who go on to college or university, we will have produced a new generation of educated, informed, acculturated citizens who are qualified to take on the responsibility for America.

Every one of us has an interest in spending what it takes to achieve greatness.