Regarding Education: When Will Republican Leaders Wake Up?

Fast Pitch ^ | Sept. 8, 2011 | Bruce Deitrick Price

[GenXteacher]

“So why aren’t they doing this?”

Again, my opinion- part of it is a lack of knowledge about education in general. A lot of Republicans, particularly ones in power are older people who assume that students today have experiences similar to their own, 40 or 50 years previously. The other part being a tendency for more libertarian-leaning Republicans to advocate measures discarding public schools altogether, which, whatever its merits, is a political nonstarter. The cynic in me suggests the Republican elites also have no great desire to improve education for the same reasons the Democrats would not- it interferes with their power.

1787 December 20. (to James Madison) “Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to ; convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.”- Thomas Jefferson

[BruceDeitrickPrice]

RE: “The cynic in me suggests the Republican elites also have no great desire to improve education for the same reasons the Democrats would not- it interferes with their power.”

Gosh, I hope you are not right about this. It would be very short-sighted. If citizens are ignorant, then a demagogue always wins.

Note that in debate last night, many candidates were demanding the abolition of DOE; and the rest want much less government involvement. This could be the start of a big shift.

[GenXteacher]

“Note that in debate last night, many candidates were demanding the abolition of DOE; and the rest want much less government involvement. This could be the start of a big shift.”

It is a nice hope. Reagan promised it; it didn’t happen then. It would be a big shift though- there were a lot of Repubs who supported/still support NCLB because they thought it would hold schools accountable and sort of glossed over the fact that it increased the reach of the Federal government mightily.