America’s Security Put in Peril by Failing Schools (Guest Voice)
America’s Security Put in Peril by Failing Schools
by Michael Reagan
Today, Washington is so focused on expanding the size and influence of our federal government at the expense of taxpayers that they are overlooking one of the greatest security risks facing our nation — our failing education system.
Our broken education system is failing America’s children while countries around the world, our own global competitors, are making dramatic strides in educating their future work forces.
The consequences to this failure cannot be underestimated. A 2007 study from Columbia University revealed the scope of the consequences of simply failing to earn a high school diploma.
High school graduates are healthier and more productive. They are far less likely to be dependent on government social services. In tax dollars alone, a high school diploma translates into upwards of $150,000 in the lifetime contribution of one person. High school dropouts make up over 50 percent of state prison populations.
Across the board, the benefits from a well educated population are tangible and undeniable, and yet nearly three out of 10 American students now fail to graduate from high school.
Looking at the results coming out of our current education system, I cannot help but be deeply alarmed. As detailed in The New York Times, Congress heard testimony this week from education experts on the state, national, and international level as part of the culmination of a year-long effort by state leaders to establish new academic standards.
Andreas Schleicher, of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Education, testified that, “Among OECD countries, only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico now have lower high school completion rates than the U.S.”
He went on to say that, “If the U.S. would raise the performance of schools by a similar amount, that could translate into a long-term economic value of over 40 trillion dollars.”
The personal and economic benefits from a strong education system are clear. Moreover, in a global market, American students must compete in an increasingly educated, productive world. The moment we can no longer keep up, we will have surrendered our national prosperity and security.
In light of this, our country now faces a decision regarding the proposed standards, which encompass achievement goals in English and math from kindergarten through 12th grade. I am pleased that governors and local educators took the lead on his project, but it is my conviction that we must walk a careful line as we move forward in establishing protocols for our education.
Mr. Schleicher’s testimony also revealed that most other successful countries, while utilizing national standards, give local schools a greater degree of freedom from regulation than the American system currently does.
So long as federal taxpayer money goes to schools across the country, the government is right to demand accountability and a return on the investment. But when federal control threatens to stifle the creativity and productivity of our local schools, we must step back and return power to our communities.
Our children’s future, our country’s future, must never be a political pawn in the government’s all-too-familiar gambit for more control. We must equip our schools, our teachers and our children with all the resources they need to lead academically the way we know we can, the way we have done in the past. We must equip local school districts not only with financial resources but with an investment of trust and authority, so that our schools can focus on the business of education, not bureaucracy.
Mike Reagan, the elder son of the late President Ronald Reagan, is spokesperson for The Reagan Nation and chairman and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation (www.reaganlegacyfoundation.org). Look for Mike’s books and other information at www.Reagan.com. ©2010 Mike Reagan. Mike’s column is distributed exclusively by: Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate — and it is licensed to run in full on TMV.
7 Responses to “America’s Security Put in Peril by Failing Schools (Guest Voice)”
There are people and groups that are trying to make changes to education, but they're stifled more by politics than by ideas. As long as restrictions are being forced on schools at several levels, it's almost impossible to re-engineer them. Also, he's blaming education entirely on schools, but it's well known that success is far more difficult for kids that aren't supported at home. Sorry, the answers aren't that simple.
Frankly, I am very suspicious of anything Mike Reagan writes. You never know where the guy is going to take you. Suffice it to say that I agree with the gist of his comments here. With that said, I believe strongly in the refocus and re-investment of public education. I don't know what he means by ” we must step back and return power to our communities.” If that means school districts, as did the Texas Board Of Education, can change textbooks to emphasize creationism and revisionism in history then count me as opposed to the 40th president's adopted son. Attention to education of pre-K up is critical but it will involve money and hard decisions. There is no real choice here. We either do it or perish in the long run.
“Vouchers for Victory” — he left that out of his piece.
If only the federal government behaved as though it were publicly accountable and representive. With ObamaCo and the lib Dems this past year, we have had the opposite, and threats of more of the same.
If the states and local governments were fulfilling their responsibilities in public education there would be less need and less intervention from the feds. Dubya, Obama, et.al. A friend in my home town of Albany, GA sent news clippings of the local school board hiring a superintendent whose c.v. was riddled with misspelled words, poor grammar and broken syntax. When one of the school board members was asked about the hire, she responded, “we know he don't know nothing about k-12 education. We're thinking outside the box. We're hiring him to feed and clothe these poor families.” Another of the board members has a business association with the new superintendent in a charitable project to help the poor no less. I'm sure somebody will eventually land in prison but in the meantime the loss of resources and time will critically impact the school population of 90% black and poverty level families. Abandoning school children, families and taxpayers to the schemes of political hacks isn't the answer.
“If the states and local governments were fulfilling their responsibilities in public education there would be less need and less intervention from the feds.”
Laying aside that “fulfilling their responsibilities” is often an inaccurate (an incorrect) description of failure to experience the meeting of excessive demands of government by some (we encounter this routinely), neither this nor anything else as a rationalization legitimizes federal encroachment into state and local issues.
“Laying aside that “fulfilling their responsibilities” is often an inaccurate (an incorrect) description ”
No you are wrong. It is accurate and it is correct in description. Simply organizing these words in this sentence thusly does not make it a credible statement.
” to experience the meeting of excessive demands of government ”
Wrong again. What are being discussed are education essentials.
” we encounter this routinely ”
Are you on a safari or does the “we” refer to a posse comitatus?
Legitimacy of federal involvement has been established through the federal courts and legislation for sometime. Whether it is the 14th amendment’s equal protection clause or some other it really doesn't matter. That is reality. The states and local government have to step up and act responsibly if they want to keep a place at the table.
so does this mean the San Francisco Gun ban should've been legal and not settled in federal court?
Does this mean that if I take a loan for a specific purpose the loan company cannot dictate the terms? This is the same thing with government.