Department of Education…END IT!

This may come as a shock seeing as how I’m working to become a teacher, but I feel strongly about this topic. This also may be one issue that Ron Paul supporters would agree with me on (assuming they actually know what Ron Paul believes in).

I understand that education is a big concern in this country. So the best way to make it successful is to not let the Federal Government control it. Every time we put trust in the Federal Government they screw it up. Not to mention, it increases the chances of America becoming a socialist country.

The reason the Federal Government shouldn’t control education is because every city is different! The Federal Government promises money for good test scores and threatens to take it away for bad test scores. This is a problem. You can’t set a national standard for education because then teachers will only teach what is necessary for their students to pass the government mandated tests. Also, having the Federal Government controlling the Education increases the power of teachers’ unions and decreases the power of the students’ parents.

My solution: Abolish the Department of Education and leave the education to the cities. If a city has control of what the schools teach, then the parents have more say about what is taught in schools because it increases the effect of Parent-School Board relations. For example, if a city like San Francisco decides to have a week of teaching homosexual tolerance or sexual education and the parents find that not a problem, that’s OK! Because if a parent doesn’t like it, they can go to a city where the parents decided that homosexual tolerance and sexual education isn’t necessary for the schools (like say…in a Conservative mid-west town). Each city has different priorities.

Also, if a city decides to tax it’s citizens to increase educational funding, then chances are the tax will ACTUALLY FUND the schools. In a federal tax, you don’t know whether that money is going to the schools or not. Besides, if parents don’t like the tax, they can fight against it or they can move. It gives parents more opportunities to better their city and choose where their kids go to school.

In addition, Charter Schools would increase competition for public schools and require public schools to hire better teachers and manage their budget a little better. Increase competition and you’ll increase the quality of the outcome. (By the way, this isn’t my idea. John McCain advocates this same idea).

We should also get rid of teacher tenure. Or at LEAST make it more difficult to achieve tenure. If we can’t get rid of bad teachers then the educational system will never get better (this coming from a future teacher!). Then the teachers’ unions complain: “we’re going to lose our jobs…we’re not protected.” You’re damn right you’re not protected! Just like any other job, you have to perform well to keep your job! If you’re good at your job, then you don’t have to worry do you?

Anyway…my two cents.

David Cooper