Education

Assertion: It is obvious that Public Education requires serious reform, and we absolutely must take back our education system. Let’s start by insisting on school vouchers so we can send our children to elementary and junior high schools where teachers want to teach and children want to learn. Let’s also get back to basics by instilling the curriculum found in E.D. Hirsch’s “Core Knowledge” curriculum (or something very similar). In high school, let’s identify students whose aptitudes lend themselves to either higher education or to vocational systems and direct their studies accordingly. Not everyone wants or needs to attend a college or university to achieve competence and satisfaction in their preferred field of endeavor, so let’s stop herding everyone down the “college” path and start paying attention to the natural inclinations of our young adults. If we do those things which help them to attain a core competence in their area(s) of interest, all of society will benefit.

We ask a lot of our teachers; it is time that we ask the same of students and parents, as well. If we are serious about educating our young, we must emphasize the importance of it to such a degree that there can be no doubt about it. We must make it understood that, for the young, there is nothing more important than their education and, as such, their participation in any extracurricular activities will be tied directly to their performance in the classroom. If a student does not carry a “C” average, or better, they will not be allowed to participate in sports, join school clubs or school-sponsored activities, get a driver’s license, or be allowed to take a job. It must be very clear that their focus will and must be on getting an education, and that these and other measures will be considered if they do not have the motivation necessary to maintain a “C” average up to and including their graduation from high school.

While we place no small amount of emphasis on parental involvement and student accountability, we also require results from our teachers. Those who achieve positive results should be rewarded, and those who do not ought be fired, retired or retrained for a new line of work.

Why This Is Important: There isn’t a whole lot of meaningful discussion about the world and America’s place in it, but there is one thing we all need to understand: Geopolitically, every single day we are essentially in a fight for our lives, and what is at stake, every single day, are resources: Natural resources, metals, minerals, food, fuel, and fresh water. All of the materials needed to sustain and improve our lives are available – to one extent or another – and are purchased – one way or another – in the global marketplace. It isn’t always a genteel affair. Conflicts, often full-scale wars, have erupted over the pursuit of, or control of, resources. In order to compete we need smart people; we need “human” resources. To not only survive, but to thrive, we need an intelligent and competent population to create, build, innovate and invent.

Constitutional Basis: There is no constitutional guarantee of an education. Individual states define educational policies that are then implemented and funded by individual localities. This is as it should be, for most issues are handled best which are handled locally.

Quote: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." – Thomas Jefferson