more on education

John Lott, author of "Freedonomics" which I enjoyed, wrote in the Fox Forum about Education. It's a touchy subject with people, as you can tell by the comments under the article.

Liberal rhetoric about education is always misleading. They know that Americans value education, the biggest factor in achieving the American Dream. So, they preach about education--though they do not value the American Dream. The idea that a person can rise above his or her circumstances by going to school, learning a trade, saving money, spending it wisely--through hard work, determination, smart decisions, and dare I say it, faith and trust in a loving Heavenly Father, is an old-fashioned one to the current administration. Hillary Clinton said "It takes a village to raise a child." While I am grateful for fellow villagers who helped me along the way: good teachers and good friends, it was my parents, and my own ambition which got me through college.

While I am concerned about the liberal doctrines being pushed on young minds, I am also concerned about the studies that show that our kids are not benefiting from the tax dollars continuously thrown at schools, and teacher unions. Liberals say, "We need more money to give our kids a chance!" and conservatives give them the money. And we keep giving more, and more, and more! Why is there not a correlation between money spent and the success rate of the students?

Because, we are looking for answers in the wrong places. Whether motivated by a (misguided) genuine desire to help our kids, or motivated by a desire to win votes from Union members and parents who want free Universal Daycare, adding preschool programs and lengthening the school day will not improve test scores. Who loves their child the most? A parent or a teacher? Who is that child's best advocate? Who wants to see that child succeed? I'm not suggesting that parents bully a teacher that tries to discipline a child--parent-teacher relationships are a subject for another day--but I am saying that we should trust parents with the education of the next generation, and not Government, teachers or anyone else.