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Put Education back into our schools

Today's education system is not as bad as some people would have you believe.  No Child Left Behind is a travesty designed to destroy the public school system and replace it with an elitist conglomeration of private and parochial schools.  Our students still move out of school to power the most prosperous nation on earth.  Where we fail is in providing quality education to all of the students.

There are several things we need to do:

Bring a work ethic into our schools.  Have students go to school 8 hours a day, just like a job, but with no homework.  There would be plenty of time for students to get all their work done in an 8 hour day.  What is the difference between going to school 6 hours and doing 2 hours of homework and going to school 8 hours a day?  This would also lessen the burden of day care on many families.

Go to school year round.  The old need to let the kids out of school in the summer so they could help with harvest has passed.  Students who can afford it go to camp or some other learning experience in the summer while the poor make do on the streets.  Level the playing field by having all be in school the year round.  This could include 2 weeks off during the summer around the 4th of July for a summer break.  A week off in the fall around Thanksgiving for a fall break.  2 weeks off around Christmas for a winter break, and a week off around Easter for a spring break.  Plus 2 weeks anytime during the year for family vacations.  The schools could offer low cost day care with a learning component during the breaks.

Keep standardized test to measure improvement in core subjects, however, include additional "elective" type courses such as art, music, theatre, etc.  And, do not use the NCLB standard of constant improvement being needed as well as allowing for special needs students.  The NCLB standards are impossible to be met.  Schools should be measured and rated, but not expected to meet a 100% goal.  The real world just doesn't work that way.

Do not funnel public money into private schools or even semi-private charter schools, even through vouchers.  Lets keep all the players on a level playing field and if that is not getting the job done, lets improve the field instead of letting a privileged few take their ball home and play by themselves.

Everyone is entitled to a quality education in this country, not just those who can afford to go to other schools.

  Copyright © 2005 Milo Burns Last modified: 02/11/08