Response to Bush's Education Proposals

Bush's signature domestic legislation in NCLB, so it's not surprising that he discussed it and praised is success in last night's State of the Union address, even if the gains are illusory, debateable, and underfunded. Still, with his legacy on the line, Bush wants to make one final push for the law's reauthorization.

He also talked about "Pell Grants for Kids," a cynical attempt to re-brand vouchers for private religious education, the kind of proposal so unpopular it even fails in Utah. And he discussed funding for scientific research, and its effects on higher education.

How does the president argue for the standards of NCLB while also proposing that students be sent to private schools not required to meet the same benchmarks? Educationally schizophrenic if you ask me. Republicans never seem to notice how hypocritical and shallow this pair of policy positions really is.

Here are some responses from around the web to Bush's education-related proposals.
First, Michele at Campaign k-12 pointed me to this interesting piece from George Wood of the Forum for Education and Democracy, which praises the Democrats' silence on education in their responses to the SOTU.

I have yet to see an ‘education president’ (or governor for that matter) that tackled the really hard issues when it comes to our schools. Issues like ensuring that every student is taught by a well-prepared and supported teacher; equalizing funding so that the education you receive is not determined by your zip code; going after higher order thinking skills in our standards and assessments; and supporting parents and communities in being involved in educational decision-making through insisting on both genuine decisions being made at the local level and real time provided for such decision making to occur. These do not fit in a sound bite, but they are the things that matter when it comes to an education.


Finally, I wonder when someone claiming to be an education ‘whatever’ will own up to the fact that schools are not simply tools to fix the economy or prepare children for college. Actually, our schools have a much more important role. We entrust our young to our schools because we believe that in a democratic nation all of the nation’s children must develop the tools to be self-governing. When we graduate young people from my high school there is no telling if they will be doctors, lawyers, poets, mechanics or postal workers. But rest assured; every one of them will be citizens. And they will be called upon to make decisions about the health of our nation that we cannot even begin to imagine. The public school system our democracy demands and deserves rests upon engendering in our children the habits of heart and mind that make democratic life possible. The candidates that talk about these central educational values will be the ones worth listening to—when they again turn their attention to our schools.

The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development had this to say:

We also agree we must do more to help children when their schools do not measure up. But diverting limited public resources toward private school vouchers is not the answer. We need real resources targeted toward the schools and students that need them most. Vouchers as public policy are a failure, no matter what the name.

The Alliance for Excellent Education took this approach to the voucher proposal:

Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia said, “The president, in last night’s State of the Union address, stated the problem straightforwardly; too many students are failing in our current education system. The dramatic case he makes calls for more than a limited action.”

“A new voucher program that merely allows a few students to transfer from failing schools to private ones leaves the bulk of America’s children behind in the same educational mediocrity. By focusing precious resources on systemic reform that improves entire schools, America can deliver a quality education to all its students. Instead of funding limited vouchers and renewing the funding each year at the whim of Congress, the president’s proposal for additional investment could be the start of real education reform that benefits ten times as many students annually and provides lasting economic benefits for generations.”