Public Agenda Issue Guide: Education

Citizens

are confronted with serious issues every minute of the day. Grasping the underlying issues from the headlines is a difficult task. Give us ten minutes a day and we will help bring clarity to the chaos of the news, policy and issues.

ON THE AGENDA

Below The Radar

Maya Dusenbery
Nov 19, 2008

Between the long shadow cast by the economy and the excitement of the historic election of Barack Obama as the new president of the United States, there's one subject which has barely made it into the headlines. Among the ballot initiatives that were decided in the fifty states were three referenda which would have banned or restricted abortion. These measures, in South Dakota, Colorado, and California, were all defeated.

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Could an Economic Downturn Be the Ticket to Health Care Reform?

Jenny Choi
Nov 18, 2008

An analysis in the Los Angeles Times today posits what could prove to be a tipping point for the health care crisis: the current economic slump.

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ISSUE GUIDE: Education

OVERVIEW

Education

It's hard to find any American who isn't touched in some way by the public schools as a student, parent, taxpayer, employer, or any combination of the above. And by almost any measure, the schools are one of the public's top concerns.

GET THE FACTS

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CONSIDER THE CHOICES

Raising Educational Standards

Creating Student-Centered Schools

Offering Educational Choices

Providing Adequate Funding

America's public schools are neglecting the basics. Consequently, many young people are handicapped by serious academic deficiencies.Higher academic standards and well-defined goals are essential. There must be an agreed-upon core of knowledge that students are expected to master. We need traditional, no-nonsense schools where students acquire a solid foundation of basic knowledge; and regular exams and report cards provide a clear indication of whether kids are making progress.In addition, the schools need to teach the values most Americans share, including honesty, fairness, punctuality, respect, and personal responsibility.
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The underlying problem in the schools is that many students are disengaged from learning, in large part,because of what they're taught and how they are taught. The essential ingredient in good schools is teachers who are sensitive to students' needs and differences,and able to inspire intellectual curiosity. For that has guided successful teachers and schools is teach the child, not the subject. Instead of trying to agree on a one-size-fits-all curriculum, schools should teach what students will not soon forget: problem-solving skills and critical thinking -- in otherwords, how to think.
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The fundamental problem is that most parents don't have a choice about where their kids go to school. Except for a small minority who choose to pay for private or parochial schools,parents don't have any alternatives. In effect,public schools have a monopoly on affordable primary and secondary education. They haven't improved because they don't have to. If most parents ands tudents had a choice, public schools would compete for students,just as stores compete for buyers. The resulting competition would create a situation that rewards schools that are doing a good job,while forcing the rest to change -- or go out of business.
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You get what you pay for, and too many schools are starved for funds. Public schools are expected to turn out high-achieving students, but many school systems are forced to operate on a shoestring. As a result, classes are too large, school buildings are falling apart, and teacher salaries are too low to attract good teachers. In particular, a glaring difference exists between per pupil spending in wealthy and poor communities in many states. That means kids from lower-middle income and poor families tend to go to second-rate schools. Rather thanserving as a great equalizer, public education is a wedge that is driving us further apart.
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