One would think that most Americans would believe that education is the ticket to success in America, that it is the major means of social and economic mobility.
But at a time when we face an education system that has been inadequate to deal with the future of our children, what is occurring is that we are seeing states slashing budgets on what is basically the future of the nation!
Texas will begin the new school year without textbooks for its students, while we are also, all over the nation, seeing schools shut down, summer schools being eliminated or cut back, shorter school years being put into effect, number of school days being cut from five to four in many areas, and teachers and staff being treated by government as the “enemy”, and being faced with having to pay for benefits guaranteed by labor contracts, and often being forced to take pay cuts or furloughs from work!
We are going to see a decline in numbers of young people wishing to go into education as a field, and many veteran teachers will be leaving over the next few years, disgusted with the mistreatment they suffer, and the lack of respect for education demonstrated by state legislatures, city councils, and school boards, with many members of school boards particularly having no clue as to what education is all about!
The greatest loss will be the likelihood of a growing dropout rate by students, and the gaps they will suffer in their education, making them ill equipped to deal with the future, to be good parents, and to be the leaders dealing with the problems that this nation will face with a rapidly aging population.
If we fail to educate our young properly, and encourage the best and the brightest to enter the field of education, the long range prognosis of the country is in great jeopardy!