Increasing access to opportunity—not distracting culture war ploys—should be at the top of our education agenda
The nordic countries pay educators the same level as engineers, or other professionals. This is because their unions are so strong. There are many other EU countries that also pay educators as the professionals they are. I believe that when teaching went from an all man position in the US in the early 20th century is when teachers pay was lowered. The belief then was that women did not need as much money as a man. Educational funding has decreased year over year. It is probably the most important budgetary item for any state and the federal government. Without an educated population your state and country cannot compete. This can be seen directly in America's ranking in the world going from the number one down to 19th place.
Oh, my, Steven. You have hit on one of the things that I have been sad about for decades. In the 1970's, when I first heard Spiro Agnew, then V.P. of the US under Richard Nixon, start to put down the educated and our educational system with slurs like "nattering nabobs" and the "effete snobs" comment ("The student now goes to college to proclaim rather than to learn. A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals."), I knew the Republicans needed an underclass - poorly educated people they could count on to vote for them. We came out of WWII prizing education. According to one source, the GI Bill spent about $14Billion between 1944 and 1956 for tuition to send about half the WWII veterans to vocational schools and college. Education was highly valued, and TV news gave us educated commentators. Our public schools and colleges grew and I think often flourished. The Civil Rights movement worked to make sure all our citizens were able to get a quality education in public school. My own school district on Long Island (Westbury) was one of the first schools in the country, I believe, to de-segregate schools in the late 1950s that had become racially out-of-balance due to what neighborhoods families lived in. It has been the agenda of the Right for decades to dilute public education, dumb it down, and loosen standards. Some of the schools in Scandanavia also teach kids how to spot disinformation, but the US is flooded with it. Our TV programs are flooded with shows that make ignorance and nastiness prevalent, and kids are copying these people as if they are heroes. I had hoped that Jill Biden, being an educator, would make a very public effort to improve the educational system in our country and encourage Americans to truly value education. Without an educated population, we are lost. The ignorant are taking over as they follow the plan laid out by the oligarchs. Our election in 2020 helped democracy survive a little longer, but I think it is on life support and I sure hope that the election of 2024 is not when democracy in the US takes its last gasp. We must win this next election and do more than we have done so far in this Administration...much more!
Your story from India begins with a family member, the mother, committed to seeing that her children went to school. No mention of the quality of the school. It was the commitment of the mother to see that he went. Support the child and he/she will have an opportunity to flourish. It's like a negative - nothing can move forward with a no, only with a positive. I see everyday examples of parents either too busy to support their children in their education or too often not caring because they never had their family's support to become educated. If there is no family support, no commitment to a child going to school, the best education system in the world is worthless.
Richard, Ellis, you make an excellent point. While some people acquiesce within their familial limitations, others may strive to improve their lot in life. I was fortunate to have a father who encouraged my brother and I to strive for higher education. He told us that he never had an opportunity to pursue a University education, having to join the workforce as a teenage and help support his family of 6 brothers and sisters. At 17, I enrolled in University, with the aid of an earned academic Scholarship and Student loan. My focus as a parent was to encourage my sons to excel in a field of endeavour, which they did.
Thank you so much for focusing on the issue of education, Steven, and for doing so with such a powerful and poignant essay.
There is no issue that is more important to our physical and spiritual wellbeing. If only we had the courage - and the humility - to learn from the Finnish example. Alas, that's not going to happen without profound political change in this country when the end goal of the Republicans is to have a barely literate force of workers who are only able to work in their factories or fight in their wars.
After reading this, Steven, I reflected on how the Republican-held House and the Democratic majority in the Senate are representative of the conflicting viewpoints in America. The country is divided with an almost equal number of elected representatives on either side of the aisle, impeding the advancement of legislation. What caused the repressive and limiting views on education to foment among Republicans? As a Canadian subscriber to your America, America, I can tell you that education is coveted and revered, here in my country. Learning the French language is promoted, and many people are fluent in two languages, or more. Being Bilingual is often a requirement in Government jobs at the Federal level. Knowledge is power, and whether a person studies Liberal arts or pursues a Trade and apprenticeship, it paves the way for more opportunities. The lack of it can becomes a self-defeating prophecy of limitation.
Thank you for your insights, Audrey.
Democratic led state governments must prove clearly that making quality and open education essential at every school district. There can’t be “red-lining “, there must be equality of assets in teacher’s pay, programs and subjects offered.
A full accounting of our sometimes barbaric history as well as the shining examples it has produced should be a part of all curriculum at all levels of our education.
I believe it would not take the citizens of Republican led states too long to see the benefits that are produced for the children and state as a whole in those Democratic led states before they follow suit.
The whole reason for public school is to do exactly as you say. Give opportunity to the underprivileged children in our country to have a chance at a fair playing field. Kids of affluent parents already live in better school districts and have access to private schools if that is their ambition. Instead of tearing apart our schools why don't these filthy rich people like Koch and Devos try to make the system better for all kids? They have zero understanding of what is needed for an overworked parent with multiple children in school. The supplies at the beginning of the year. The teachers low salaries. How to afford lunch for them. The fact that teachers have to buy their own supplies. Updating the IT that will be needed by every single kid in America to be competent in our society. Come on you overprivileged empathy challenged morons...get a clue! And DeSantis has used his constituents and their children to pretend he is working in their interest. He is dooming them to ignorance.
Universal education is part of what made America successful in the world. Compare countries where it didn't happen, like, sadly, Mexico. Some people were and still are afraid to let every kid to learn. Even parents.
Look at what we're missing if we don't cultivate every one of them.
After seeing the display of raw insanity and cult behavior in Waco what can actually be done? -the crazies apparently are at the helm
The crazies are only about 32% of the public. It seems like they are leading the country because of MSM. Stop reading and watching MSM. Sustacks like this are a much better source for accurate information.
Yes, and Hitler never got an approval rating over--or won elections with more than--37%. MAGA crazies don’t need a majority to push through their agenda or take control.
Sharon, “don’t give up the ship, we’ve just begun to fight “
Sharon, I believe that the inmates, i.e. 'crazies' are not running the asylum, as it appears. They are a minority who are riding Trump's ill-fated train, blissfully unaware that TFG sees them merely as pawns in his big game of deception.
I’d settle for simple human kindness, basic manners and polite interactions between all Americans as a behavioral baseline. Yes, many of our schools aren’t
doing a very good job of educating children, but that’s a reflection of contemporary American culture and values.
I hate to say this but it’s true, republicans are driving
America in the wrong direction. About a year ago I
read an article about what Arizona republicans in the state legislature want to do and it’s terrifying. As far as education is concerned they’d like to remove all requirements for being a teacher in this state and
allow people with only a high school education to teach. They also want to put schools in shopping malls and pay teachers by the hour with no benefits.
I have to wonder what in the world these people are thinking.
Here’s another example of the mentality that’s driving America into the ground. Although I haven’t worked as a registered nurse for decades, I like to
keep up with what’s going on in the nursing and medical professions. I recently learned that the
latest trend is called Hospital@Home. According to National Nurses United, the (H@H) movement is an effort to allow acutely ill patients to be treated at home when they would normally be cared for in a hospital. Let that sink in.
This idea gained traction when the COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the capacity of many hospitals to meet the surge in patient demand.
Because of the pandemic, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an emergency policy that waived certain Medicare requirements and safety standards that normally apply to acute care hospitals, including the requirement that nursing services be provided on premises 24/7.
Because of the pandemic CMS then provided financial incentives for hospitals to adopt H@H programs by funding them at the same level as in-hospital patient care, even though it actually costs much less for in-home care. Now, the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services are treating Hospital@Home as a permanent medical program for seriously ill patients to be treated at home as a feature of modern healthcare. This is a very bad idea for a number of reasons.
Nevertheless, Hospital CEOs & healthcare insurance companies seem intent on normalizing H@H whether it delivers the appropriate level of care or not. I did a brief internet search to see what popped up, sure enough H@H is being treated like the greatest thing since sliced bread:
“Best Buy Health leans into at-home care through large provider deals. We've Located 50+ Health Plans and Discounts From Top Providers Near You.”
From the American Hospital Assoc., “Hospital-at-home enable some patients who need acute-level care to receive care in their homes, rather than in a hospital. This care delivery model has been shown to reduce costs, improve outcomes and enhance the patient experience. The Value Initiative is a primer on how spitals can provide acute-level care in patients’ homes, and highlights case examples of hospitals that successfully improved value through their home hospital programs.”
“The Mayo Clinic Advanced Care at Home program is a virtual care option that allows you to receive Mayo Clinic Health System hospital care from the comfort ...”
The H@H program is being developed for the financial gain of the corporate entities involved, NOT because it delivers better patient care. There’s a fine line between being more comfortable at home when one is acutely ill, versus being panicky at home when acutely ill. In addition, new healthcare technologies for use at patients’ homes are unproven and very poor substitutes for in-person evaluation and care- giving by professionals. H@H programs shift the burden of labor, costs & responsibilities from hospitals to patients’ families that may be ill-equipped both mentally and physically to handle it.
Both of these ideas (teachers with only high sch. educations and nurses becoming “gig workers”)
reduce professional teaching and professional nursing to unskilled labor. So at the most fundamental level possible, the question is whether we value human life & a good education less than we value money? So far, it’s looking like we do.
I know that all rights and duties not given to the Federal Gov't are allotted to the states. I believe the only Fed requirement to give $ to public schools is that students attend 180 days a year. State tax money, local property taxes fund them. How can Cabell County, WVA with a median income of $36K/yr compete with, say, Bergen County, NJ-income $109K/yr? Although I attended for MA Marshall U,a fine school, my children attended public school in WVA. (I say I lived there 9 years going on 100) My little son was sent home for lunch for the year because he was caught running on the black top behind the school that served as the play ground. He hid in bushes and watched the others most days. Forget speaking with a teacher after school. They left before the school busses.
The big Democrat proposal is to forgive college student debt. Well, it should be raising the standard of all American schools K-12. If govt funds used for this and people call it socialism, so be it. It is needed. Approximately 85% graduate from high school, exiting with no knowledge of a foreign language, geography, proper English, the Constitution. I'll bet those who have heard of the play Hamilton, have no knowledge of who he was or that he was real and appears on the ten dollar bill.The way subjects are taught and the respect shown to teachers in Asian countries put their students far above ours in learning. Here, the football coach often "teaches" history.Many college freshmen need tutored to be able to comprehend college courses. Many of those who can't make it as business majors, turn to education majors.Much easier. I had to take a credit course in how to use the blackboard !
I am not saying all teachers need to be better educated in their subject matter as well as the psychology of children, There are many who are. But there are also those just waiting out their tenured positions till retirement. I have been in the teacher lunch room and listened to them gossip about the kids, their parents and roll their eyes. They could care less. A high rate of new teachers soon quit. In Florida,, that great state looking out for the good of students, what they should learn, what books are best for them and relying on parents to know better than educators (they weren't so interested with Zoom teaching during the pandemic and were happy as larks when schools reopened) a substitute, who , by the way does not need to be a college grad, just high school diploma or GED, earns $13.70/hour. MacDonalds workers earn $12.10 !!
If the Feds can spend billions on fixing roads and bridges, preparing for another moon walk, skip collecting taxes from big corporations and give the DOD $1.73 trillion , it can contribute to the education of its citizens for the competition that lies ahead. Kids need pencils, paper, books in good condition, buildings with no mold on the walls, principals who greet them, teachers who care for them, and shame and no lunch should no longer prevail for the little fellow who hasn't any money to pay for it.
I will concede on the subject of community colleges. I think they should be free to those who want to go. Forgiving loans is forgetting about painters, plumbers, electricians, taxi drivers. You can't just help a few at the expense of the majority. Only1.2% of Americans have a PhD after all.
The culture warriors think like Mao, like Stalin, like Hitler, like Khrushchev, like Brezhnev, like Putin,like Xi - if you ban books, internet people will not know what’s going on in the rest of the world. But the genie of the internet has been released and you can’t put it back in the bottle. You cannot hide books and information - good or bad anymore. And besides, if you tell a kid they can’t read something or see something or listen to something, they will find a way. The slippery slope of banning books and information that is being slid upon by these culture warriors will consume them and they will cause an avalanche they can’t control. Young people and children want to learn and teachers and librarians want them to learn and read. Parents who think they can stop their children from learning something they deem to be wrong or unsavory would be better off sitting down with their children and explaining to them why and what something means; actually thinking CRITICALLY ABOUT SOMETHING...which of course they can’t do which is why they want to ban it all.
How do we get stories like this on the front page of papers and Educate those who are so crazy?? Everyone is deserving of a great education and teachers should be paid and trusted ! I’m not sure if I am hopeful or discouraged but I so appreciate what you write.
One of my favorite terms is "bootstrap" as in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps as a way to move forward. My dad was much the same as yours - no education but became the manager of a milk plant, and my brother and I had no choice - we would go to college. My brother was the first in both my parents' families to get a degree and I was the first to et a masters, More importantly, I learned from him that when you might get down, hit those bootstraps and move on. So many times I could have folded, but never did.