Generals and students of military history will tell you that
it is difficult, often impossible to fight a war on multiple fronts. However
when you begin to scrutinize the seismic shifts that rare taking place in
American public education today that is precisely what educators are facing.
Front One-
Federal government intrusion in to public education. The framers of the
Constitution deliberately left out anything pertaining to public education of
America’s children. That left the education institutions up to the individual
states (See Article 10 of US
Constitution). Starting with the National Defense Education Act (1957) and
continuing through ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965), No Child
Left Behind, (2001) Race to the Top (2012) and now with Common Core (2014) the
federal government has gotten progressively more involved in what is taught,
teacher success rate. These intrusions seems ironic considering that Dr.
Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence wrote a treatise
emphasizing the importance of education in a democracy and that his document
was largely ignored.
Front Two- Union
Bashing. Republican governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Governor Chris Christie
of New Jersey, both Republicans and both potential presidential candidates,
have hitched their careers on trying to crush labor relations and union
membership by eliminating, or radically changing teacher tenure laws and
welching on negotiated pensions and benefits for teachers and other public
employees (Police and firefighters).
Front Three-
Textbook Selection. Actions in several states, particularly Florida and Texas
(where the same books must be used in every school in the state), regarding
what content should be in a student’s textbooks have all of the trappings of
censorship and book banning. Should Creationism be taught in schools? What
should students know about slavery or the Holocaust? How should religion be introduced
in schools –if at all?
Trying to deal with any one of these issues is a daunting
task- but all three borders on the superhuman. It is crucial that educators,
parents and community members closely monitor what is going on in their local
schools as well as in Congress.
c.2015 J. Margolis
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