The American Spectator

home
ADVERTISEMENT
Campaign Crawlers
Print Email
Text Size

Campaign Crawlers

Romney’s Education Choice

By on 6.6.12 @ 6:09AM

The Romney revolution could end up as big as the Reagan revolution.

(Page 2 of 3)

Romney rightly recognizes as well that the root of the skyrocketing college cost problem is excessive federal assistance for attending college, as the colleges are happy to hike prices in tandem with increasing federal assistance. “[F]looding colleges with federal dollars only serves to drive tuition higher,” Romney rightly states.

But Romney explains that the ultimate education problem is the Obama economy and Obamanomics, as once students complete their education they are saddled with school debt but there are no jobs for them. As the White Paper says, “Of course, even the most important skills will lack value unless young graduates enter a growing economy where those skills are in demand…. Only half of those who have graduated since 2006 currently hold full-time jobs…. And even during Obama’s so-called economic ‘recovery,’ these statistics are getting worse.” Romney adds, “[E]mployment among young adults is at the lowest level since 1948, the year these statistics were first recorded. More than half of all recent college graduates are jobless or unemployed.”

Give Choice A Chance
 The federal government spends more than $25 billion a year, two-thirds of its funding for K-12 education, through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) focused on students from low income families and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Romney proposes to change the law to provide this funding to the schools that the low income and special needs children and their families choose, tying the dollars to each child rather than to each school. They can choose any public or charter school anywhere in the state, as they prefer, or any private school in the state if permitted by state law. States would have to adopt these choice policies to receive the federal funds.

States would also have to remove all caps on charter schools, and provide funding to charter schools under the same formula that applies to all other publicly supported schools, including access to capital funds. This ensures that low income and special needs children will have a full scope of choices available to them.

Romney also proposes to expand the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to serve as a model of school choice for the nation. That program has provided 1600 scholarships each year for students to attend the private schools of their choice. Romney notes that the program “is not only extremely popular, it is also incredibly successful. While only 55 percent of students in the District’s public schools graduate from high school on time, an extraordinary 91 percent of D.C. students using scholarships to attend private schools do so.” Romney adds, “The program also saves taxpayers money because scholarship amounts are substantially less than per-pupil spending in D.C. Public Schools.” Yet, following the demands of his teacher union masters, who don’t want to be subject to competition, President Obama zeroes out funding for this program in his budget.

Romney’s proposal would provide sweeping national leadership, leading every state to adopt such school choice policies to obtain the federal funds. That would create a revolution in education, shifting power from the public school bureaucracy to parents, students and the family, which is why the bureaucracy and its unions oppose such reform so strongly. If parents and students have the power to determine where the funding goes, schools, teachers, administrators, and the bureaucracy would have to be maximally responsive to their concerns and preferences. No longer would complaining parents and students be treated as weird interlopers in the expert process of education.

Each school would be in a fierce competition for funds, and would have to strive to satisfy parents and students to win that competition. As a result, the incentives facing school administrators and teachers would be transformed. This would spur each school to more carefully monitor its performance, move expeditiously to correct problems, and devote imagination and energy to timely innovation. As a result, the public schools themselves would change and improve sharply. It would not only be parents and students that choose to leave for a better performing private school who would get a better education. The overall results would be much more like the performance the public gets with every other good and service in a competitive market. That is because such school choice actually serves to create a market in education.

In this new environment, the combined choices of parents, students and families would automatically work school reform. Funding would automatically and immediately flow to the schools that best satisfied parents and students with the best teaching methods, materials, and subject matter. Schools that failed to change and serve would automatically lose funding. If they persisted in failing, they would ultimately lose their students to other, better performing schools, and have to close.

This system would also promote decentralized experimentation and innovation, allowing more scope and opportunity for the demonstration of the virtue of new ideas and innovations. Experienced teachers with better ideas for instruction could more easily start their own schools to demonstrate the superiority and appeal of their innovations. The system would also allow for decentralized flexibility, with different schools striving to maximize the cultivation and flourishing of different talents and abilities, whether in math, science, music, the arts, or other disciplines. Competing schools would be tailored to the needs and skills of children, not one size fits all from a government monopoly that leaves many behind because the material is too easy or too hard.

Every child is different. Some kids have learning disabilities. Some boys need strict discipline and should not be in coed schools. Some kids have a special talent for music, talent, entrepreneurship, sports, vocational skills. Some families want religious education, others don’t. Some need individualized attention. Some have severe behavior problems that can be overcome with the right stylized program. With school choice as Romney has proposed, parents and students could then each pick the school that best served their particular needs and preferences.

Power to the People
 Romney continues this theme of power to the people, proposing to slash the federal prescriptions and micromanagement of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and replacing them instead with comprehensive public reporting requirements of results in each school and district that would aid families in using their new choice powers to choose among schools. “Parents will be empowered with the information needed to make good choices about their children’s education,” as Romney says. This transparency would expand even further the revolutionary power of Romney’s choice proposals.

Additional proposed reforms would further complement Romney’s choice revolution. He proposes to eliminate the ineffective NCLB federal mandate that all teachers of core academic subjects achieve certification that they are “highly qualified.” Instead Romney would direct funding towards “states and districts that actually attract and reward highly-effective teachers and remove ineffective ones from the classroom.” He notes that “Federal agencies spend over $4 billion each year on more than 80 different teacher quality programs, with little to show in terms of results.” He would consolidate these programs into a single block grant back to the states. Romney explains, “states seeking block grants will be required to establish evaluation systems based in part on effectiveness in advancing student achievement, reward effective teachers and principals with additional compensation and advancement opportunities, eliminate or reform teacher tenure, streamline the certification process for becoming a teacher, and prohibit seniority-based transfer and dismissal rules (including Last-In, First-Out layoffs).” This would provide the leadership to further rationalize education into a cost-efficient, effective, functioning marketplace serving students and their families, rather than a bureaucracy controlled by special interests lining their own pockets.

In fact, it would be highly desirable to block grant the entire federal Department of Education back to the states, as education is primarily a state not a federal responsibility. Federal funds can be distributed by Treasury, Commerce or HHS (as it used to be), with federal education data collected by the funding department as well.

Higher Education Choice
 For higher education, where choice already prevails, Romney proposes further reforms to complement that choice. He explains, “Despite requirements that colleges and universities report volumes of data to the U.S. Department of Education, there is no simple way for students to access that data and interpret its implications. A Romney Administration will eliminate unnecessary data collection requirements and partner with existing private-sector entities to create consumer-friendly data on the success of specific institutions of higher education.”

Romney also proposes to reopen student loan financing to private sector lenders as well, reversing Obama’s nationalization of the student loan market. He would consolidate duplicative and inefficient federal financial aid, and refocus it on students most in need. He would also remove regulatory barriers to the business of online education, encouraging it to expand and flourish into a new world of 21st century digital education.

Page:   12 3  

About the Author

Peter Ferrara is Director of Entitlement and Budget Policy at the Heartland Institute, General Counsel of the American Civil Rights Union, Senior Fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, and Senior Policy Advisor on Entitlements and Budget Policy at the National Tax Limitation Foundation. He served in the White House Office of Policy Development under President Reagan, and as Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States under President George H.W. Bush.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (63) |

Appleby| 6.6.12 @ 7:17AM

What children need is parents who are educated enough to know what education is all about. My parents never graduated from high school, but both were avid readers who took us to the library and made sure we did our homework. Mama has always been the head of the Grammar Police, and Daddy taught us to discuss what we read and never to say "It'll be a nice day tomorrow" without citing our sources. If your parents are ignorant, you will probably grow up ignorant, especially in a country that still bullies and mocks the intelligent and exults the boy who can bounce a ball and the girl who is "perky" and "bubbly."

Brooksifier | 6.6.12 @ 10:17AM

America can do business v. well, but nothing else; America wont ever have schools as good as Europe and Asia will.

Brooksifier | 6.6.12 @ 12:05PM

...Perhaps you think Jesus will return to reform education in America? Over four decades you've been yapping about education reform-- it is a mirage receding into the distance.

Drunken Sailor| 6.6.12 @ 3:54PM

Kind of like you lefties and your "War on Poverty" isn't it?

Purp| 6.6.12 @ 4:31PM

Or you righties and the "War on Drugs" or the "War on Terror" ? You couldn't even capture the 6'5" Arab Bin Laden. You have no room to ridicule the other side.

Brooksifier | 6.6.12 @ 5:36PM

"Kind of like you lefties and your 'War on Poverty' isn't it?"

You don't care about others' children, you just want to sell Rightist rags and tomes. big glossy books such as:
'How The Evil Leftwing Negro From Chicago Destroyed America, And If You Vote For Romney He'll Improve Education [NOT]'

You'll be saying so 40 years from now!

Von Mises Jr| 6.7.12 @ 7:03AM

Hey look, it's Jefferson.

Drunken Sailor| 6.7.12 @ 8:39AM

Brooksie and Purp/jefferson's rant's are always good for a chuckle.

Drunken Sailor| 6.7.12 @ 8:41AM

Remind me again how many times Bill Clinton could have gotten that 6'5" Arab but passed? And by the way, it would have been nice of Obama to thank Bush for the interregation intel he got, that lead to Bin Laden's capture. I'll give him credit for being there and giving the right order (even though it took him many hours to weigh the pro's and con's). To bad that is about the only feather in his cap.

JmsA| 6.6.12 @ 11:00PM

You should be addressing your concerns to the teacher unions and the democrats.

Quartermaster| 6.7.12 @ 7:55AM

One of the worst things that happened to education in the US was FedGov. Reagan wanted FedGov out of education leaving it to the states at the highest. Alas, liberal states have so degraded their schools that they are almost beyond redemption.

The best thing Mittens could do is shut down the Education department and tell the states and locals to have at it. Being a Libtard, however, he won't.

CJW| 6.6.12 @ 7:44AM

The problem in education is the lack of choice in schools and that many children live with disfunctional families.
The first problem of choice is easy to solve by allowing parents to enroll their children in the school of their choice, public or private. If the other school costs more than the cost of the home school district, then the parents pay.
The second problem is that too many children live with lousy parents, single and married, and have poor role models. How do you fix this?
My experience with teachers and teachers' unions is that their power is greatly overrated. Most teachers are dedicated and hardworking. The teachers contracts in Pennsylvania, and state law, all allow schoold district to fire a teacher for cause. One problem is the school districts do not monitor teachers to documents any issues the way a private employer does.
Next, the public schools have a huge bureaucracy of principals, vice principals, administrators, ad nauseam, most of whom are busy completing forms required by the Dept of Education. The Dept of Education should be abolished.

Von Mises Jr| 6.6.12 @ 8:15AM

CJW, the Dept of Education must be abolished and the funds remain in the states. There are many problems of socialism in the schools, but it starts with the central planning of the Federal government. It is like the Kink's song "The Moneygoround" that goes round and round, and a little bit comes out here and comes out there. Like Medicaid and other central government programs, one-third is designed graft and waste.

If the funds are returned to the states, then the Governors can either fix the union problems or see their states wane. In big cities in Blue states, the schools have VP's, teachers whom are entitled to their sick and personal days and classroom aides. If they can't do the job or show up, they should be fired.

But as long as the teachers unions remain, they will eventually stifle innovation and reforms. On the micro level, we have recreated Guild Socialism. Instead of hereditary, it is attitudinal. Typically the worst performing students take secure and less challenging teaching jobs. They must make it through four years of Teachers College where they are brainwashed, and then make no waves questioning any authority for three years to get tenure. It truly is the "Brave New World" of producing drones from the Teachers Colleges to create drones in elementary education.

CJW| 6.6.12 @ 9:51AM

Another problem is that the management of the public schools does a poor job of negotiating with the unions., and generally public employers such as cities and states do a worse job negotiating with the unions. The unions have more experienced and dedicated negotiators and representatives whereas the public employers usually have politcal appointees who come and go, and are afraid to take a tough stand, unlike Walker. You have experienced dedicated union reps dealing with bureaucrats. The mayors, governors, and other polititcians, mostly Dems, are receiving political contributions from the unions they are negotiating with.

In Pgh we have an investigation of our former Dem mayor, Tom Murphy, who gave a sweetheart contract to the firefighters union, a politically active union, for their support in the primary. Of course, no charges were filed, but it was so obvious there was an "investigation."

The Catholic schools are also unionized in our area, but the Diocese has retained control of the management of the schools. The teachers average about 75% of the pay for public school teachers yet the results in the Catholic schools are superior. In addition to the dedicated teachers, the better management, the students in the Catholic schools come from more stable families. The parents are paying about $4000 per year for grade school and $10,000 per year for high school so the parents take more interest in the children's education, and are more involved.

Al Adab| 6.6.12 @ 11:14AM

Do we really think Romney would eliminate the Dept. of Ed? Will he really repeal Obamacare? What about the Dept. of Energy? Yes there might be some glimmer of hope and we can begin an incremental change. Incrementalism got us here and it can get us out, but it will take a well thought out strategy, a number of years and a Congress on board with the priorities and sgenda.

Von Mises Jr| 6.6.12 @ 11:39AM

I think you underestimate the bureaucrats, CJW. Chris Christie is working towards passing Agenda21 in New Jersey and the bureaucrats were very skilled in running Delphi Technique meetings and verbally hiding their agenda.
It is only with close readings of their plans, showing up at required meetings, asking questions UNTIL they answer them and then calling them out that you find any truth. And then you can count on them to simply disguise them better.
In socialist states such as New Jersey (and they will admit to it in private conversations), they are not just legislating socialism. It is in every program they devise.
The politicians and bureaucrats are running a money laundering operation. And they know exactly how to do it.

CJW| 6.6.12 @ 12:02PM

Von and Al Adab
Reagan promised to abolish those two depts and had not luck. The first step is to reduce their budgets, and repeal as much of their regulations as possible. These can be done by the Secretary of each dept and the president. I can guarantee you that we have a better chance of doing this with Romney than with Obama. Bush did not help with his NoChildLeftBehind which vastly increased the Education dept.
We need a solid Republican majority in Congress to abolish each. We can start by reducing their budgets, and limiting their powers.
My comments about the bureacrats was directed primarily to the lousy job they do in running the schools. I agree with you they are skilled at maintaining their fiefdooms.
"W"

Al Adab| 6.6.12 @ 1:55PM

Incrementalism. But it will take years and a Congress devoted to the cause.

Can we start with a budget say the same as 2005 in dollars? Staff reductions by attrition? Stop subsidies for preferred businesses? All those and more belong on the table. As you note, Reagan failed. Does Romney intend to try?

Von Mises Jr| 6.6.12 @ 3:08PM

What we need is a prefrontal lobotomy of the socialist policies. It will happen with Romney or it will happen with Market Discipline.
We need to have incrementalism in turning back the implementation of the policies, but slow change will not stop a national default.

JD| 6.6.12 @ 3:40PM

What Republicans take years to achieve in increments can be undone by Democrats in a week.

Brooksifier | 6.6.12 @ 10:33AM

How many decades have you been talking education reform? four?

Education reform has become feel-good:
"elect Bush and no child will be left behind."

"Elect Romney and he will reform education."

NOT!

TSD| 6.6.12 @ 8:01AM

Our school systems are run by the unions... period. Our university systems are run by the same people... period. Our government agency's' that regulate and test the education system is run by the same people...period. They have no checks and balances. They are run by a unionized, socialist, communist group of like minded subversives that look for centralized contorl and manipulation of our children in the hopes of changing our society. They are not interested in helping our children to understand how to learn, to develop the tools for critical thinking and ability to reason out right from wrong and have a work ethic to succeed on they're own efforts. Mr Romney and his people are correct in all of the above listed evaluations. Our teachers that support this crap they call an education system need to go, along with all the millions of management overhead we have at all levels and we can then work to support real teachers who will help our kids to learn the basic skill to lead a good productive life.

Pecos Pete| 6.6.12 @ 8:21AM

"The Dept of Education should be abolished."

The sooner the better. Block grant to the states all of the federal funding of the Dept of Education. Get the federal government out of education.

c. j. acworth| 6.6.12 @ 8:37AM

Which of course would be an actual increase in funding for education, since a whole layer of beaurocrats would be eliminated. Or the dollar amounts actually disbursed to the states could stay the same and the savings applied to paying down the debt.

Purp| 6.6.12 @ 4:51PM

We already did that, before there was a department of education. And, guess what? The States weren't any better at it. Next idea ...

c. j. acworth| 6.6.12 @ 9:26PM

You obviously haven't looked at a graph of SAT scores for the last few decades, have you? The line trends down ever since Carter saddled us with a Dept. of Ed.

JayDick| 6.7.12 @ 12:09PM

My recollection is that some schools were good, some not so good.

Federal money comes with lots of strings. The locals need lots of effort to make sure they comply with the strings and the Feds need lots of effort to enforce them.

In any event, it's a state/local responsibility, so they need the authority to go with that responsibility. They don't currently have it with all the Federal requirements.

One role that might be OK for the Feds would be some research, particularly about what works and what doesn't.

fmm| 6.6.12 @ 9:11AM

What is missing in the Romney plan as you outline is the recognition that the Federal government needs to be backed out of education. Again, the feds do not have a clue as to how competivite organizations are run. Changing control to the states will not improve the situation either. Until education is controlled at the local level where the taxes to run the schools are generated, the system will remain in failure.

C. Vernon Crisler | 6.6.12 @ 10:40AM

Dittos. I think many conservatives are ready to crown Romney as the new Ronald Reagan, but remember, this is the guy who gave us Romneycare, the precursor to Obamacare.

Derek Leaberry| 6.6.12 @ 12:49PM

Many conservatives better prepare for great disillusionment by the Fall of 1913 if Romney wins. Romney is not a conservative, never was a conservative, and has shown no understanding of sympathy for conservatism. He is the reprise of George Bush I.

JimP| 6.6.12 @ 9:17AM

No, no, no! We don’t need another plan from DC for public education. Let the states and localities handle their education systems. Have DC give block grants (if we as a republic want to provide funding) and the Dept. of Ed monitor that the money isn't going to cronies. Mitt’s plan no doubt will get votes, but a better plan would be to get the feds out of the education business. He blames teachers unions, but does he realize some states have no teachers union and at least one’s schools do well, Virginia’s. Others perhaps don’t do well but without a teacher’s union, who is to blame?

JimP| 6.6.12 @ 9:18AM

Half of the successful education equation is parenting. We don't have enough "Chinese Moms". Education edicts from DC, of all kinds, just make schools that are performing well that much less effective. NCLB is a perfect example. Teachers in my county's good school system became paper pushers for DC: and let one kid in one category not pass the standardized test and assets are taken away from a school for not meeting the standard. This of course punishes the remaining students who passed the tests. Mitt's plan will allow parents of poor performing students due to dysfunctional families, low IQ and various other pathologies and causes to have their child attend a school with better test scores etc, etc. But, their child, along with all the other transfer in students, will just bring the test scores down because the families expect the schools to do it all when at least 50% of the problem is their child's own limitations and their family's dysfunctions, neither of which change when the child transfers to the high performing school.

JimP| 6.6.12 @ 9:19AM

Choice does not automatically equate to better education/higher test scores. All that these federal initiatives do is complicate the present system even more, create negative unintended consequences and drive costs up further. One thing, for example, that those wanting vouchers never discuss, or even think of apparently, is how are the kids going to get to the school of their choice? Also, how long will it take to get there? How many buses and bus drivers will be needed or will these parents be driving the kids to school? Do they get transportation vouchers in addition to school vouchers? So on and so forth. Also, if you think vouchers will lead to private school nirvanna, well wait until the feds start telling the private schools they have to take all the problem, special needs, this special category and that special category kids from families with numberous dysfunctions and pathologies. Then it will be just like public education.

JayDick| 6.7.12 @ 12:13PM

Don't you think the parents and schools are capable of working this out themselves? Parents with children in private schools do. Why does the government, even local government, have to be involved?

JimP| 6.7.12 @ 6:40PM

Did you not understand my second sentence or is that some kind of rhetorical question? If you are referring to the busing comment, do you really think people will just give up school provided busing overnight? I don't, nor will the public schools disappear overnight. Therefore when everyone has a voucher to go to any school many will want their kids in a public school still, but one further from the one they now attend. It happens all the time now. Mitt's plan will open the flood gate for disruntled parents.

Derek Leaberry| 6.6.12 @ 9:35AM

The most apparent conclusion of this article is that most conservatives still don't understand that the public schools are centers of left-wing indoctrination as developed by John Dewey. Learning is secondary. Public schools can not be reformed as they always will be a moral wasteland. They should be radically defunded and left to rot. They should not be conserved.

All conservatives who love their children should rip them out of the public schools and place them in private schools, preferably with a religious bent, or homeschool them.

GW| 6.6.12 @ 4:43PM

Sigh. As the son of two public educators, this just flat out isn't true. If you live in a Midwestern town or suburb, most public schools aren't "centers of left-wing indoctrination," and public schools also have dedicated and intelligent teachers and curricula. I do agree with privatizing education, but in the here in now, conservatives should make the best of the public school system by seeking to decentralize it and ensure that American values are being taught--especially in the Red States they control.

obadiah| 6.7.12 @ 3:26PM

john dewey was not left-wing and public schools do not follow his principles. According to Will Durant, Story of Philosophy: "Following up Spencer's demand for more science and less literature in education, Dewey added that even the science should not be book learning, but should come to the pupil from the actual practice of useful occupations. He had no great regard for a 'liberal' education..."

Mimi | 6.6.12 @ 10:15AM

Good for Romney in putting forth a plan to improve education in the country....he gets it!
George Bush at his nominating convention had the same emphasis in bettering Education in America....911 changed that and not enough was done.
We have inner city schools that are truly failing our minority children...to excel in 12 years what white children do in 8 in not acceptable.
Perhaps education should begin in the WOMB...serving the mother to get a proper diet, and infant and preschool education info...ALL mothers desire their offspring to do well...it is natural and automatic.
Yesterday...in Wisconsin a monumental victory for education in limiting the union power over our schools...I hope they got the message, schools are for the nations children not their resources to be wasted on political friends.
Teachers not doing the job have to go ...and find something else they can be good at.
We have teachers sitting in rooms for years...doing nothing and getting paid protected by the unions...this should be un-acceptable!

Derek Leaberry| 6.6.12 @ 12:42PM

Most of America's inner city children are too stupid for high learning. It would be better to teach them viable trades. Installation of a solid work ethic and mannerly behavior is vital.

Alej| 6.6.12 @ 3:25PM

Agreed. The Japanese system, whereby a student in, I believe, about the equivalent of our eighth grade, takes a test that is the fork in the road for him... pass it, and go on to college prep school; fail it, and the student is shunted off to trade school.

Jesse and Al would sue, of course, so sewage will continue to be mixed with clean water in our national student body, and we'll continue to be amazed that the result isn't Daisani.

Ruckweiler| 6.6.12 @ 10:20AM

Romney will be the next President but, hang the luck, no dirt/scandals. What's a poor liberal to do?

Mimi | 6.6.12 @ 11:15AM

We will all have tears on Inauguration Day... knowing we have him, a certainly decent man and Ann by his side.
I just pray he follows the Conservative views and can restore the Country.

Derek Leaberry| 6.6.12 @ 12:43PM

Romney won't. He's a liberal.

Purp| 6.6.12 @ 4:35PM

You mean like Romneycare? You should have learned by now what he says is not what he does in office. He didn't in Massachusetts and he won't as President. But you go ahead and believe Willard.

CJW| 6.6.12 @ 5:55PM

I will believe Willard before I believe Hussein.

Drunken Sailor| 6.7.12 @ 8:43AM

"You should have learned by now what he says is not what he does in office. "

Now that is rich coming from a Obama supporter. Hell, even people on the left are mad at him for not doing what he said. Does your neck hurt from spinning around so much?

WillyP | 6.7.12 @ 4:59PM

Actually, he did do what he said. He promised the people of Massachusetts, a very liberal state, a state healthcare plan. And he delivered.

Oldefarte| 6.6.12 @ 11:52AM

Peter, outstanding article as usual!!!! Hopefully Romney will become elected and be able to implement some of these great ideas. Public education is faced with the problem of labor unions [and the incompetitent teachers accompanying same], student decipline, and lack of parental support. Sadly schools are little more that baby-sitting services for indigent parents [if they can be termed that]; and forcible deciplinary measures must accompany any school renovation ideas. Incompetitent teachers need to be fired and conpetitent teachers need to be given substantil salary raises based upon merit only. It all can and must be done if this country is to survive, since we are falling behind the Chinese, Japanese etc in educating our youth. Education needs to be restored to a thing of national pride that it once was, and it can be thus with a littel work and effort. We simply must get away from this selfishness of governmental protections of everything from entitlements, and become again a nation with a superb work ethic and desire to improve oneself [which benefits society in general]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Derek Leaberry| 6.6.12 @ 12:45PM

Many of your points are wise yet you do forget that millions of students aren't really able to learn much beyond rudimentary scholarship. Beyond that, schools were meant to be indoctrination centers by John Dewey.

Oldefarte| 6.6.12 @ 4:27PM

Only because of the domestic terrorism of Democrats and their unions. Public education was once upon a time a thing of pride and joy, before federal control by Democrats was inflicted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who Knows?| 6.6.12 @ 12:28PM

“More than half of all recent college graduates are jobless or unemployed."

I think you mean “underemployed”, since “jobless” and “unemployed” basically mean the same thing.

Oldefarte| 6.6.12 @ 4:28PM

I think you'll find the word ''''''OR'''''' in his statement, meaning an equalization perhaps??????

Dave Williams| 6.6.12 @ 3:15PM

Whatever happens politically, the fact is that most people, and most Americans in particular, really do not give a fig about education...and by that, I mean TRUE, REAL education, the kind that takes actual work and study, not the pablum handed out in schools today. As long as the culture is ruled by American Idol, the NBA, and those airheaded parasites the Kardashians, education will NEVER make any headway. That said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to abolish the DEA and let the states try to run things....AS THE FOUNDING FATHERS INTENDED.

Purp| 6.6.12 @ 4:48PM

You do realize that quite a number of the airhead shows are run on FOX, don't you? Go tell them.

Purp| 6.6.12 @ 4:36PM

The very idea that Richie could even hold water for Reagan is quite insulting. Even I supported Reagan. But Willard, the Mormon, the flip-flopper, NO.

cicero| 6.6.12 @ 4:57PM

We have been sold a bill of goods. Most jobs in this country do not require a college degree, or even a 2 year certificate from a junior college. Most jobs training programs are a waste of time. The employers themselves are better equiped to train the new hires to do what is needed for the job.
We could shutter about 50% of the post secondary schools, and require real rigor in the high curriculums, and come out ahead. Most of these so calledd centers of higher education look upon the students as only a source of money, and treat them that way. They do as little as possible in order to get the stipend attached to each student's back. The unions, at all levels of education, are interested only in the economic betterment of their members. The students are only a means to that end.

Marie| 6.6.12 @ 6:18PM

What does Romney propose to do about the loser parents that pay no attention to what their school age children are doing? Give them even more welfare? Bribe them?

marque lunettes de soleil | 6.7.12 @ 3:59AM

Across the nation, our school system is a world leader in spending yet lags on virtually every measure of results…. On the latest international PISA test, American high school students ranked 14th out of 34 developed countries in reading, 17th in science, and 25th in math. China's Shanghai province led the world in all three subjects, outperforming the United States by multiple grade levels in each."

aware| 6.7.12 @ 6:03AM

And now the conservative Charlie Brown will have another try at the "Reform" football Lucy is holding.

Notice how the right progressives are already cozying up to the State in anticipation of once again being able to do their part in the continuing destruction of what was once America? By the time November comes this pig(Romney) will have so much lipstick on he not only will be "Reaganesque", he will be Reagan himself!

obadiah| 6.7.12 @ 3:06PM

romney might win the election but not on the basis of delusions like these. romney has not changed from a year ago when he was always a second or third choice. if he shines in comparison to obama it is only because obama is so dim. romney is no reagan. and obama is neither carter nor marxist.  obama is an empty construction of corporate interests like goldman-sachs, pharma and mpaa pretending to be for common people while betraying them on every side. romney will do better pretending to be in favor of the constitution that he will be betraying.

clemsberry| 6.9.12 @ 10:20PM

great article, great plan. thanks peter. this gives me hope. thanks..mike.

More Articles by Peter Ferrara

More Articles From Campaign Crawlers

The Tragedy of Mark Sanford

April 30, 2013 | Kyle Peterson

Massachusetts GOP Primary Coming to a Close

April 29, 2013 | Teresa Mull

Sanford Resurrected in Carolina

April 3, 2013 | Robert Stacy McCain

Bostic and Sanford Battle in Charleston

March 29, 2013 | Robert Stacy McCain

South Carolina Showdown

March 26, 2013 | Robert Stacy McCain

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/06/06/romneys-education-choice

ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Headlines

Obama’s Assault on the First Amendment

George Neumayr|60 comments

Damage Control for Dummies

Matt Purple|32 comments

Time to Go for the Kill

Peter Ferrara|41 comments

Restrain the Abusive Administative State

Doug Bandow|13 comments

Disabling American Sovereignty

Iain Murray|6 comments

The Other Gosnells

Jordan Gonzalez|9 comments

Can He Unite Virginia’s GOP?

Carten Cordell|18 comments

Undoing the Brainwashing

Thomas Sowell|11 comments

The Spectacle Blog

He’s Just Not That Into You

Ross Kaminsky | 11:34AM

Curl is Right: Don’t Dismiss Benghazi

Quin Hillyer | 11:29AM

Issa’s Mistake

Ross Kaminsky | 11:11AM

Bernanke: No Need to Reimplement Glass-Steagal

Ross Kaminsky | 11:03AM

Lerner Says She Did Nothing Wrong, Then Pleads the Fifth

Kaylin Bugos | 10:50AM

Anthony Weiner Running for NY Mayor

Kyle Peterson | 10:38AM

Morning Round-Up 5-22

Patrick Ryan | 10:01AM

Carney Goes Birther on Major Garrett

Aaron Goldstein | 12:10AM

SPONSORED LINKS

FLASHBACK TO: 1995

Clip of the Day

ADVERTISEMENT

Home |About |Contributors |Advertise |Donate |Privacy Policy |Contact

The American Spectator Foundation is the 501(c)(3) organization responsible for publishing The American Spectator magazine and training aspiring journalists who espouse traditional American values. Your contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Each donor receives a year-end summary of their giving for tax purposes.

Copyright 2013, The American Spectator. All rights reserved.