Schools: Learning the Wrong Lesson

Today's disaster story on the status of education in this country:

"Seventeen of the nation's 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent, with the lowest graduation rates reported in Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland, according to a report released Tuesday"

Problem (you--even the leftist "yous" out there--know it as well as I do):  this will result in calls, especially by Democrats (but even by many Republicans) for the Federal Government to DO SOMETHING (like throw money at the problem).

Remember when Ronald Reagan proposed the elimination of a separate "Department of Education"?  We went the opposite directon.  Now we have a CABINET member called the "Secretary of Education", with an entire, separate, cabinet level department devoted entirely to "education".  Pllus, we are spending a LOT more FEDERAL money.

What has this accomplished?  Public education has gotten WORSE (a LOT worse).  What does that tell you about the effectiveness of Federal Government, central planning, "solutions" to problems?  Yet, it will not stop people from proposing the "cure" of MORE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT money and control (they go together).   Talk about learning the wrong lesson!!!!!

What is the "solution"?  If one thing is clear, it is that there is NO "central planning", Federal Government solution.  The decline in the public schools has paralleled the INCREASE in Federal Government inovolvement.  

The problem is local, AND in familiies (as the terrible social elxperiment we, as a society, are performing ON OUR CHILDREN comes home to roost).  Too many illegitimate births.  Too many children without two parents.  Too FEW "familly values" anymore, as leftists have ridiculed them (and the schools themselves taught AGAINST them).   Too much sex, and too many drugs.  Too little personal responsbility, and too many "student rights".

Is the Federal Government at all responsible?  Of course, but NOT for failing to "help" the schools enough.  Take illegal immigration.  That has been a DISASTER fort he pubic schools, and yet leftists still want "open borders".   Then there is all of this concentration on "civil rights" for students.  Furtehr, the continual hunt for Federal money, and attempt to meet Federal requirements, has surely distracted everyone from the real problems (whichhave little to do with money). 

Unless people take responsibility for their schools, ON A LOCAL AND STATE LEVEL, there is no hope to "solve" this problem.  It is another case where "central planning" is an obviouis failure, and more central planning certain disaster.  Yet, we keep marching down that road.

Further, it is an illusion that the schools can make up for a lack of standards in teh society at large, and for a lack of family and personal responsibility.  Of course, it would help if the schools did not TEACH this leftist pap, so that each generation is getting worse (that social experiment with our children). 

Forget the "black family values" of Reverend Wright and black liberation theology.  What we need is a return to the family values (black and white) of the 1950's.   Money will simply not do it.

It is a long time process.  It is time to begin.  Unfortunately, this is another case where the dall fwill be for the Federal Government to DO SOMETHING, despite the clear failure of Federal "help" to improve things.  To central planners, however, the "solution" is ALWYAS more central planning, despite continued failure throughout history. 

As this story shows, there is not even any THEORETICAL way that the Federal Government can solve this problem (other than by not engaging in policies that INCREASE it.   Will we ever realize this (not only on education, but on things like health care, where individual responsibility may be less of an issue but central planning is just as much a disaster)?  I am beginning to wonder (at least until the final collapse of society makes it obvious, but hen realization will have come too late).