Stop Dumbing Down Education By: Anthony Pellegrino

For the past several weeks I have argued that the real causes for our children’s poor academic performance have deeper roots than most of us realize.The causes will not go away by throwing more money at them. There must be a sincere and concerted effort to change our attitudes and philosophy of education.

We have discussed the devastating influence of politicians who keep meddling in the operation of school systems. Professors of education because of selfinterests have turned academic discipline into watered down learning resulting in many of our youth remaining illiterate. Profit continues to rear its ugly head corrupting everyone associated with education through collusion among educrats, textbook publishers, educational consultants and others. Professional associations in their cacophonous voices harp for self interests at the expense of fundamental education.

Progressive education ideas are not working. While kids may end up feeling better about themselves, their intellectual minds have been sacrificed for a false emotional fix. The results are evident. Education is being held hostage by the above groups.

What the above groups are not hearing is the clamor for improved learning, not the dumbing down of education. Consider the gradual snowballing of charter schools, magnet schools, voucher systems, private schools and home schooling. These are all definite outcries for stricter discipline coupled with traditional core education.

If we are to improve the instructional level in the public schools, we must become militants and demand reforms. We have the knowledge on how best to increase student learning, but do we have the willpower?

When you attend a PTA meeting, discuss students’ reading and math abilities. Ask the principals and teachers to explain and defend what and how they are teaching your children. If your child is not on the appropriate achievement level, demand to know why. Do not accept report grades as conclusive evidence. Insist on practical demonstrations

Insist on strict classroom discipline. Without it, too much time is wasted calming disruptive students thereby stealing precious learning time. Ask your child to tell you about classroom deportment.

Why are students attending private schools able to perform well, when many public school students with same age and background are unable to perform as well? Are we to believe that one child is smarter or dumber than the other? Perhaps in some cases yes, but not so frequently. Or could it be the philosophy of education one school has compared to the other?

Teachers and staff members work very hard at educating your children, but the means have gone astray. It is not the fault of the teachers. Almost all of them are devoted and conscientious. It is the fault of what and how they are being encouraged to teach.

I strongly urge each of you to do your own investigating. Read articles, books, talk to people concerned with education and learn the truth. Most of all, visit both private and public schools and compare the difference for yourself.

In these discussions, it is not my intention to criticize or to praise any one system over the other. As in life everything has both good and bad in it. The ideal system is one that borrows from whatever source to achieve the end which in this case is the highest education for our children.

We must return to the values of a sound education. We must insist that ali students learn to read, to write, to speak, and to do math whether in crowded or noncrowded schools and with or without enough money. An uneducated mind is a senseless tragedy that need not happen. Let’s not allow it! Losers have excuses; winners are too busy winning!