September 11, 1997
Schools in Crisis
More options needed in public education
House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt has voiced concern
about efforts to reform our country's education system. He
specifically targets calls for vouchers and other means by
which more parents can place their children in private
schools, a call supported largely by Republicans and
libertarians.
"The Republican voucher proposal is yet another scheme aimed
at dismantling the Department of Education," Gephardt said
in a statement Wednesday. ''Rather than building up our
public schools, their plan tears down the very foundation of
the American education systems..."
Given the various problems with education in this country,
taking a hard look at the system might not be such a bad
idea.
Scores on standardized tests, which rank low compared with
similar tests for students in other countries, have not
substantially improved despite efforts to improve educational
methods.
Recent scores in the Scholastic Assessment Test, a popular
college entrance exam, were about the same as those from last
year. It might be comforting to see that at least the scores
didn't fall, as they had in the past, but it should be
remembered that grading for the test was recently changed,
pushing scores for most students upward.
That artificial inflation hides the fact that those who take
the test aren't performing as well as their counterparts of
just a few years ago, even with the use of calculators and
other aids that weren't permitted until recently.
Much of the problem lies in the fundamental assumption that
the government should provide an education to all its
citizens. That assumption is false; the Supreme Court has
said as much. However, this country and most others in the
world see the value in providing educational opportunities
for its people.
Unfortunately, the government channels millions of students
into a single system of schooling. That system might be
perfect for some people, but not for others. Standardized
curricula don't adequately address the fact that different
people learn in different ways.
The principle behind the proposal for vouchers, tax
deductions for private school tuition and similar ideas is
that different kinds of schools should be available, and
parents should be able to choose the school that seems best
for their children.
For many of America's children, the current educational
system doesn't work. If public education is to continue, it
needs more flexibility to provide more options, which could
improve the chances for success for many of our children.
Rep. Gephardt should stop defending a status quo that has
failed for many Americans.
