Get Out & Vote

At this junction I’ve decided to veer off course somewhat and discuss what has been happening on the presidential election scene or should I say, the lack thereof. So far during this election cycle, the only real focus on education has been “how to pay for college”. There has been little or no discourse regarding the serious education reform that the country so desperately calls out for. I will admit that our nation stands on the precipice of several important issues which concern Americans today. The issues of National Security, Economy, Immigration and Criminal Justice Reform are all critical points that need to be addressed immediately by the next administration. However, I cannot stress enough that at the very root of all of these issues is Education. If true and honest education reform is addressed, the economy can be fixed by the development of a highly skilled workforce that will result in the United States being able to compete far better on the world market. The resulting highly skilled, highly paid workforce will contribute to lower poverty rates in our urban areas among minorities and immigrants of color which will in turn lower crime rates. Finally, by being better partners on the world stage, the fight against the constant threat of terrorism will begin to gain momentum.

Now all of this seems like I am saying that education reform will cure all the problems of the world. Of course it won’t but, there is no doubt that a sound and successful educational system would surely put a major dent in them. More now than ever, education reform must be high on the agenda of whatever administration is successful in November. Again, while it may not be a cure all, education reform must be one of the top five priorities any new administration. The reconfiguration of the United States Department of Education into a consortium of educators, business people, technology experts, and parents should be the first of many reforms that will be necessary to create a sustainable skilled workforce for the future.

I feel it is necessary to insert an important caveat at this juncture. When I refer to a highly skilled workforce as I so often do, I do not only include skilled laborers and craftspeople,  I am talking about developing a smarter, more efficient citizenry that will follow their own dreams of a career. Careers in technology, research, medicine, science, engineering, teaching, social and public services, manufacturing, construction, retail services, the arts, and many other important threads that make up our diverse national tapestry. 

All of these wonderful careers require a solid educational foundation that should begin with a compulsory early education program through a minimum of a two-year college level system. Every child should be given the opportunity to explore academic subjects and careers that they are personally interested in pursuing. Strong school and career guidance needs to be a larger focus in the PK-14 system.

Unfortunately, in this election cycle, none of these topics seem to be important. One candidate’s education plan is solely focused on a National School Voucher system and Charter Type schools. These two issues, in my humble opinion are “cop-outs”; I personally am not ready to give up on our public school system. School Vouchers and Charter Schools are just a nice way to say we are abandoning our public schools. We have too much invested to even think of such an ill-advised course of action. Of course our public school system needs work, if they didn’t I probably would not have taken up this particular hobby. This is what we have been, and will continue to discuss throughout my Educate The Workforce blog.

The other party’s candidate does have a plan to expand early childhood education programs so that more parents will be able to participate however, the plan once again falls short in recognizing that all children would benefit from early education intervention, which I might add can only be accomplished by forcing every state to mandate pre-kindergarten for all children age four and above. The candidate also advocates for a plan to make college more affordable and to create an interest free college loan program. Another great Idea however, for all intent and purpose, the K-12 system is all but ignored.

So, as much as I would like to see a clear distinction between the presidential candidates on the issue of education reform, I find myself once again disappointed. While I continue to do whatever I can to facilitate a high voter turn out, I will leave you to decide who you want to vote for based on the many other extreme distinctions.