Midterm Grades for ‘Education’ President : Not a bad start, but now he must complete the course

Before Americans throw up their hands in despair over the nation’s education system and how poorly it compares to overseas competitors, it’s important to remember that what each state public education system is trying to do is unprecedented in human history: to educate massive numbers of children from all economic backgrounds, from every ethnic, racial and religious group, those native born and those who arrived just last month. It is a mammoth, and, yes, noble undertaking that no other nation has even attempted. In the Los Angeles Unified School District alone, more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken by its 625,000 students. So all those comparisons of the United States to Japan really ought not to be quite so facile and, truly, unfair.

That said, in an increasingly borderless world it is inevitable that such comparisons will be made. Beyond the moral arguments for education improvements, Americans must face the fact that the nation simply can’t afford to be stupid. Thus, President Bush’s decision to step out front--using his bully pulpit to focus national attention on the need for better and more effective schools--is, in the long run, the most important step he has taken as President. It is, as children would put it plainly, a “big” baby step, but not yet a giant step.

THE OTHER 91%: That’s because the President’s plan is weak on what he has called the other 91%--the amount of a child’s time not spent in school. While the President wants each child to come to school ready to learn, there was only token mention of the integral part the family plays in making sure that the child is ready to learn. President Bush has endorsed Head Start, a proven success and the darling of preschool anti-poverty programs. Yet Bush has chosen not to use his bully pulpit to push other pro-family programs that better prepare children for the classroom. If the President wants to make a lasting impact on that other 91% of an American child’s life, he must understand that the success of his education program is inextricably linked to national policies that give stronger support to working families. President Bush must persuade the same business community that is willing to pay millions for challenge grants and adopt-a-school programs that the building of a good, hard-working student begins with the family. If it is in the interest of government and business to encourage better schools--and of course it is--then it is even more in their interest to do all they can to encourage better functioning families. Without flexible work hours for parents, without appropriate and affordable preschool and after-school programs for children, without health care for the increasing number of uninsured Americans, educators will spend much of their time playing catch-up for the hearts and minds of America’s youth.

ACTUAL SCHOOLING: Now, as to the other 9% President Bush did address--his general framework for improving U.S. schools: The “New American Schools” program funded by the private sector is a good one, though the program should be careful not to reinvent the wheel; many innovative “new” schools are already in operation throughout the country. National standards for students are a good idea; so is voluntary national testing, though any tests would have to be carefully crafted to address worries that testing could become an excuse to write off poor achievers or direct all blame for failure on teachers. The proposed version of “parental choice” would allow federal funds to follow a needy child to any school, public, private or parochial; it’s sure to encounter constitutional problems. This controversial topic deserves far more thought and discussion.

President Bush has stepped forward with a serious schools plan; the children of America now await a full-scale education plan.