Posted on 12/15/2001 2:58:23 AM PST by JohnHuang2
House and Senate negotiators reached agreement this week on education legislation that the president is expected to sign quickly. And the House of Representatives, in an overwhelming vote uniting Democrats and Republicans, passed the bill on Thursday. Representatives Tom DeLay and Peter Hoekstra led a small group of the conservative remnant in opposing the $26.5 billion package, which Bush Republicans are trying hard to portray as a prudent implementation of conservative principle. But it is, in fact, the culminating capitulation of the conservative attempt to reform the federal government's role in education.
What I wrote about the bill in September remains true today: Instead of the promised attempt to rein in government domination of education, we have an education bill that ramps-up federal funding, increases federal control and was cooperatively stripped of all elements of support for genuine school choice and local control.
However distracted conservatives may be by the drama of the war against terror, we should not let this moment pass without noticing the comprehensive defeat that Bush education policy, enshrined in the bill, represents.
Apparently ended is the struggle conservatives have waged for decades to head off the nationalization of K-12 education. Constitutional language, American tradition and fundamental principles of self-government all weigh decidedly against any federal involvement in local education. Since the first election of Ronald Reagan, the Republican Party had stood for a rollback of that involvement, even abolition of the Department of Education. Now, at the federal level, we have abandoned the argument with the public about the costs and dangers of federal involvement in K-12 education. The current bill does not artfully advance an incremental version of the principled position of President Reagan. Indeed, it takes us in precisely the opposite direction.
It also utterly and finally reneges on one of the most important of President Bush's education policy campaign promises. Candidate Bush called for cutting funds to failing schools and returning to the parents that money in a limited voucher scheme. The bill about to pass Congress for President Bush's signature will give failing schools more money! And the voucher proposal was jettisoned shortly after the inauguration.
The increase in federal education funding in this bill is staggering – over 40 percent in one year. This is more than the education budgets of an average-sized state, such as Iowa or Colorado. With the money, President Bush has eagerly taken on himself, on behalf of the national government, responsibility for the educational performance of the nation's children. No rhetoric about flexibility and local independence will prevent the inevitable – ongoing torrents of federal money, bilge about federal resolve to "leave no child behind" and ever increasing levels of federal oversight and control.
And what will happen when an extra $8 billion fails to improve our children's learning? And fail it will, because real improvement in government schools is blocked by administrative inertia, obstructionist unions and statist secularism in the professional educational establishment. Sad history and all the data show that these impediments are increased, not diminished, by federal dollars. But still the cry will go up for more money, and a more aggressive federal commitment. What will President Bush say next year when another $8 billion increase, or $12 billion, is demanded to make real reform happen? After all, the federal government can leave no child behind. What next? Shall we pass the "Lake Woebegone Act" and decree that all the children shall be "above average?"
Most discouraging of all is that the new bipartisan federal education initiative is such a distraction from the deepest source of our educational problems – the demise of the two-parent, marriage-based family. The family is the school of character and must be the primary agent in education. No federal spending can effectively energize the real reform we need – reform in which parents get control of their own lives, reassert effective, wise and moral control over the lives of their children, and extend that control finally to the common life of our public schools.
As with most federal welfare, federal education money is a drug that obscures and intensifies underlying problems. The Republican Party used to preach "Just say 'No!'" Now we are increasing the dose and inviting the country to party on. It's a prescription for GOP and national addiction that immeasurably weakens our children's future. Let us pray it does not ultimately cost us our capacity for responsible self-government.
Sometimes it's hard to differentiate the two.
It's amazing how well the armed forces teach and train critical tasks to thousands and thousands of people every year without professional educators, the NEA, or ANY help from the like of Bill Bennet or the Dept of Ed.
Go look at a master's level teaching curriculum. I have. Lots of fluff and BS.
Part of the problem is the type of people that Education attracts and keeps.In college I used to tutor education majors, so I've seen some of thier abilities and their motivations.
Part of the problem is that too many teachers never leave school--they graduate high school, go to college, graduate college, then go right into teaching. All they know is the rubbish they are taught in school by those in the business of protecting the field and preserving job security.
But when he goes on to say that Keyes wife is the "Whore of Babylon" spoken of in the Bible "It also utterly and finally reneges on one of the most important of wanna-be President Keyes wanna-be education policy campaign promises. Candidate Keyes called for cutting funds to failing schools and returning to the parents that money in a voucher scheme. The fantasy bill about to pass Congress for wanna-be President Keyes's signature will give failing schools no money! And the $1 proposal jettisoned shortly after the inauguration."---well OK, he didn't actually say it, but we all know that's what he meant---that's just going too far!
I used to admire this man for being staunchly pro-life and a defender of the Constitution. But with this vicious article attacking our most holy wanna-be president and his perfect family, he has lost me. I'm turning in my George Bush membership card and my official George Bush decoder spy ring! And I'll never buy another bottle of George Bush chocolate breakfast drink as long as I live!!!
Note this is REAL sarcasm not wanna-be sarcasm.
Thursday December 13 3:49 PM ET
House Passes Bush Education Plan
By GREG TOPPO, AP Education Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed President Bush's broad education plan that would require millions of students to take annual reading and math tests. For the first time, the scores could affect how much federal funding schools get and how they spend it.
The 381-41 vote gave Bush a bipartisan victory on what he has said was the top item on his domestic agenda. Senate passage was expected next week, which would allow Bush to sign it before Christmas.
``We can no longer accept the level of failure that we have in the past, and this legislation says that we won't,'' said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who helped write the bill.
The House and Senate spent months refining the massive Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which provides most of the funding and overall regulation for K-12 education.
GOP Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, who led the committee that forged a compromise between the House and Senate versions, said it would help fulfill the government's promise of ``no more false hope for our children, no more broken promises and no more mixed results.''
In addition to the testing, the bill would require schools to come up with plans to close the achievement gap between low-income and middle-class students as well as white and minority students.
States and school districts would get more freedom over how they spend federal dollars. Money intended for teacher improvement, for example, could instead pay for salary increases or additional instructors.
Districts would have to submit annual ``report cards'' showing a school's standardized test scores compared with others schools, both locally and statewide.
Schools would have to test students with limited English skills in English after students had spent three consecutive years in a U.S. school. Schools also would also get a share of Bush's signature reading program, which provides nearly $1 billion per year for the next five years, in hopes that every student can read by third grade.
Overall, the bill authorizes $26.5 billion for elementary and secondary education in the 2002 budget year, which began Oct. 1. That would be about $8 billion more than the year before, and about $4 billion more than Bush requested, but nearly $6 billion less than Senate Democrats wanted. The actual amount could be lowered once Congress makes its annual spending decisions.
The annual state reading and math tests, to be given to all students in grades three through eight, would gauge the effectiveness of schools, especially those serving poor students. Those with persistently low scores would have to give some of their federal aid to students for tutoring or transportation to another public school. More aid would flow to schools where scores do not improve for two years in a row. If scores do not rise afterward, a school's staff could be changed.
The tutoring provision was added to the bill in the spring after Republicans failed to gather enough support for private school vouchers, which Bush and conservatives sought.
During debate then, the bill was criticized by both liberals and conservatives over what was left out.
Conservatives said removing the vouchers program meant the bill was little more than an expensive testing mandate, without an ``escape valve'' for families whose children attend low-scoring schools. On Thursday, several voted to reject the measure, including Majority Whip Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas.
Some lawmakers wondered how much help low-income students would get.
``It is a giant step forward, but we are still far away from making sure poor children do not end up with a poor quality instructor and poor quality teaching materials,'' said Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., a voucher proponent, said he was not completely satisfied with the bill, but liked the tutoring, flexibility and report-card provisions. Hoekstra voted to reject the bill, joining 32 other Republicans, six Democrats and both of the House's independent members.
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We may still have time
We might still get by
Every time I think about it I want to cry
With the bombs and the devils
And the kids keep coming
Nowhere to breathe easy...no time to be young
But I tell myself that I'm doing alright
There's nothing left to do tonight but go crazy on you
[from "Crazy On You" by Heart (written about a different topic, but still meaningful on mine)]
I'm sure you're right about the legalize it bit. So long as people are given something to freak out on at home, they will put up with being treated like animals the rest of the day.
The legalize it crowd is the future of America -- drug addled losers who nonetheless retain just enough of their humanity to be reasonably able work units and consumer units. At night, they will be allowed to go crazy on their drug of choice.
Mark W.
Agreed! During my years of Army life, I to had been an instructor. Not a very good one. Some (actually most), were very good. None had any teacher's training. It seemed that those who had the knack for it, were really good right from the start. Others, no matter how hard they tried, no matter how much assistance given, just couldn't cut it.
Anyway, from what I've seen raising four kids, the same was true in public schools. There was that upper 10% who I would have graded super teachers, then their were the next 30% who I rated not good, not medicore, but poor (barely adequate). Then the next 30% were really bad (total failures). Then the last 30% who didn't belong in the school building.
The difference between the two, was that in the Army, other duties were found for seargents who didn't cut the muster. They still had duty assignments in their military occupations. In the schools, they just keep right on teaching.
Part of the problem is that too many teachers never leave school--they graduate high school, go to college, graduate college, then go right into teaching.
In other words, they are a poor role model. They have no life's experience, or accomplishments to draw from.
Unenforceable laws make a mockery of the whole legal system in this Country. People grow weeds with five leaves on them, dry them out and smoke them so as to alter their mode of thinking. So what?! Let's test all folks who receive Federal assistance and ALL Federal employees, including all politicians--and staffs--receiving a Federal stipend, then let the market decide the rest!!
"So long as people are given something to freak out on at home, they will put up with being treated like animals the rest of the day. The legalize it crowd is the future of America -- drug addled losers who nonetheless retain just enough of their humanity to be reasonably able work units and consumer units. At night, they will be allowed to go crazy on their drug of choice."
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA...you are so silly, my FRiend. I've known plenty of brilliant folks who have partaken of the Peace Pipe, and many don't even work as "work units" and/or "consumer units"...and they make more than me, who does both.
I sense yer realizing the indefensibility of the Pro-WOD argument, mi amigo...as will a majority of Americans in the next 2-5 years.
FReegards...MUD
It's also easy to talk theory, but putting theory into action often reduces pure theory into ashes. Young teachers are often great at figuring where social injustice lies and how tax dollars should be spent, but they haven't figured out that, generally speaking, people are where they are today because of the choices they made yesterday and that they will be tomorrow because of the choices they make today. They also don't realize what it takes to make a buck.
Didn't Clinton just after he was in office, do somthing that made it OK to be in the military if you were a homosexual?
Before that if found out weren't you kicked out of the service?
Seems that was stopped on a dime.
If I'm right, that is cute. I sence a double purpose here. If not I appologize. If so, I salute you. Well done.:-)
Nonsense. I'm just commenting on the extent to which Blue Nation America has conquered and destroyed real America. Even now, however, if the justice system actually got real and started using _real_ punishments -- such as beheading _everyone_ caught trafficking in drugs -- I'm sure the problem could be dealt with.
But drugs are only one front in the on-going war between Blue Nation and Red Nation. Since Blue Nation is advancing on _all_ fronts daily, I don't hold out any hope for the future.
Mark W.
SHEEEESH!!
Take another Bong Hit and come back when you got some Courage or a Will to Live!!
Things are lookin' mighty fine in my neighborhood!!
MUD
[laughs] Courage and will to live are two different things.
If the future were, say, battles with random hordes of rampaging berskers, I'd have the courage to face that.
The future, however, looks more like an endless stream of shuffling zombies like rejects from "Day of the Dead." It doesn't really take courage to face that kind of future. At some point, I think it's natural for people to start asking, Why bother?! (Maybe I'm just having a bad Monday.)
Mark W.
LOL...believe me, Berzerkin' ain't how most DopeHeads I know react to the Evil Weed.
Interesting you say that, though, are you a Tolkien fan?!
Beorn the Berzerker is my favorite Middle-Earth persona.
"The future, however, looks more like an endless stream of shuffling zombies like rejects from "Day of the Dead." It doesn't really take courage to face that kind of future. At some point, I think it's natural for people to start asking, Why bother?! (Maybe I'm just having a bad Monday.)
Put in a copy of Nat King Cole's Christmas Favorites and sip down some mid-level quality Brandy this evening...it'll do wonders. America's brightest days are directly in front of her...DevilWeed or no!!
FReegards...MUD
Obviously, you don't know MarkW, eh?
That's got to be one of the funnier things I've heard you say to someone.
...never mind you said it to this particular person.
I'm offended that you'd suppose that I would waste my best zingers on someone I barely know...in fact, I know MarkW and his Pro-WOD Argument quite well...and while I respect Mr. War, I fail to grasp the Wisdom of his "argument".
FReegards...MUD
Yea-yea, I'll bet you are.
Well FYI I'm offended you still cannot *read* my brand of sarcasm??
~A wash if ever there were, too.
We're both now offended; & excuse me for saying this?
But, isn't that how Liberals deal with things; piss-off both parties??
...kids; sheshhhh.
;^)
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