Monday, February 10, 1997
EDUCATION:
Reform package finally gives schools attention they deserve, but
needs to target the poorSomewhat suitable for an American
president, Bill Clinton is trying to secure for himself a large
block of text in 21st century history books. It seems, among other
lauds, Clinton would like to be remembered as the "education
president." During his State of the Union address last week, the
president announced that education would become his No. 1 priority
throughout the second term. To back up his statement, he outlined
what proponents are calling an aggressive and unprecedented
"crusade" to rejuvenate American education.
The $51 billion package is multi-faceted. If successful, it
would expand the Head Start preschool program, create new charter
schools, and finance the development of standardized, voluntary
assessment tests for fourth and eighth grade students. It calls for
an increase in volunteer tutors as well as the enlistment of
100,000 more "master teachers." Five billion dollars have been
earmarked for the renovation and construction of schools. For
college applicants, Clinton is offering a tax credit of $1,500 or
tax deduction of $10,000 for college tuition, as well as expansion
of the Pell Grant program.
The plan’s biggest hurdle is a Republican Congress, which is
likely to continue its top-priority quest for a balanced
budget.
Critics claim that the president is grandstanding. Clinton is
currently enjoying the highest public approval rating of his
presidency, and some say that, by setting himself up as a champion
of education, he is simply trying to hold on to his glory. However,
the president’s motives are irrelevant. We do not care if Clinton
is grandstanding, showboating, or massaging public emotion.
Whatever you call it, he has successfully moved the issue of our
anemic educational system to the forefront of national
attention.
Clinton has presented what, at the surface, seems to be a valid,
energetic attempt to revitalize education. Given the current highly
charged political climate, it is admirable to redirect substantial
funding toward education.
But education should always have been a top priority.
Politicians have consistently attacked the symptoms of widespread
poverty and underrepresentation while ignoring the cure.
Educational reform may be the only viable cure for this country’s
distressing imbalance of opportunity. However, we can only endorse
the spirit of the proposed package and not the package itself.
Clinton’s proposal is too broad. He must target more
specifically the quality of education within poor and
underrepresented communities. To slow the ever-widening gap between
the classes and bring about some true equilibrium, there must be a
massive investment in K-12 schools within poor communities. For
students to be successful, they must see the promise and rewards of
education early in life.
Truly, there is some discomfort in criticizing a large-scale
educational reform plan. Clinton should be applauded, not faulted,
for his educational emphasis. President Clinton may very well be
written up as the "education president." The term is justifiable,
to a degree.
It is doubtful, though, that he will become known as the
president who shrank the great divide between the classes. To do
that, he must stop taking quick, myopic glances at our nation’s
underrepresented. Then, after taking a long, clear look, he would
need to retarget that $51 billion with much greater precision.