Education

By Marilyn M. Singleton, MD

Washington is not the most effective captain of our education ship. Locally-based innovations can give all children access to a quality education.

Washington is not the most effective captain of our education ship. A recent Government Accountability Office report on duplication of federal services showed that 10 federal agencies run more than 82 separate programs to improve teacher quality. Moreover, there are many burdensome federal compliance rules that local districts must follow that do not necessarily improve education.

Washington could allocate block grants to the states. There would be more money available to students if the federal "overhead" were eliminated. Policies and allocation of resources can be better achieved by the local school district. There is more parental influence and control: the elected school board is directly accountable to the taxpayers.

Lowering academic standards for minority students is not the answer. This is crippling and degrading. Students fall into the role society creates for them. As long as minority students are not required to compete on an objective scale of merit, they will never develop the skills necessary for real academic success.

Children need equal opportunity in education and parents need the choice to opt out of a failing school. We must remove restrictive barriers to opening new charter schools, private schools, and home schooling co-ops, especially in the minority and economically depressed communities. Currently, many government schools have fallen into "the soft bigotry of low expectations." More educational choices would force government schools to compete for students interested in education and establish a culture of achievement.