As a teacher, there is little which makes me smile when it comes to public education in the United States, but I have found cause recently to chuckle. Most critics would classify former President George W. Bush as an unabashed free-market proponent, yet his education policy fell under the rather communist phrase, “No Child Left Behind.”
Ironically, our current president, Barack Obama, a man whom his critics would label a socialist, has coined the catch phrase “Race to the Top” to describe his policy toward education. Funny, but that sounds rather, shall I say, capitalistic of him.
Perhaps these two gentlemen would like to trade mottos, since neither one makes much of a difference. Until parents and students buy into their educational futures, and politicians stop creating new benchmarks every other year, while complaining about our dismal test scores in order to get elected, will education in this country truly mean what it says. Until teachers who aren’t qualified to teach are fired, and until the truly gifted are praised and honored for their efforts, we will continue to be mired in educational catch phrases while nothing actually gets done.
Lea M. Steele
Fresno
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