Poor Education;Who is responsible?

Our educational system is under attack from all sides. State governments are busy destroying collective bargaining rights of K–12 teachers, thus lowering wages, increasing class size, and in addition decrease the number of teachers. At the level of the federal government, there is a clamor to destroy the Department of Education and move the responsibility to the states in the name of states rights—please note, they did not say move the money, only the responsibility. The objective of the state government is to do for poor school districts what they cannot do for themselves just as the objective of the federal government is to do for the poor states what they cannot do for themselves.

Paradoxically, republican politicians designed the voucher program to destroy public educations at the state level by taking money away from public schools to support the move. The result is that the program will force students, at least those with the resources into private school leaving the poor students in underfunded public schools. Their objective is to do just the opposite of the government. All of this and more is an ominous sign for education hence the future of the United States.

The logic behind the economic reasons is rational. They say, why should I have to pay to build nice schools for people who cannot pay? Why should I pay for the education of other peoples children? (Do you think Mitt’s children borrowed money to pay tuition?) As always, the standard conservative argument is “it my money and I want to keep it” argument rules supreme. The logic applies to not just for families without children verses families with children but extends to rich verses poor. Poor areas cannot afford top rung public schools and everyone knows it. In desperation, poor parents turn to the church; they turn their children over to various parochial schools, which in turn support the voucher program: win-win circularity for everyone but the children. Religious education comes with high non-economic cost; for example, there were ten Republican candidates for nomination to become President of the Untied States. The question the moderator asked was, do you believe in evolution. Only three raised their hands in the affirmative; shocking in an age of science.

Industries (Republican bias) base their desire to industrialize universities on economics. Company executives know that industries can profit by awarding large research grants to universities and university administration know they can profit economically by accepting theses grants because the grants cost far less than it would cost the industry to provide the space and the researcher to do the research. They do not cover the cost of hiring professors to do the work or the space (new buildings). They claim they pay their way but overhead charges, which go into the universities unregulated general funds, are far less than what it costs the taxpayers to support the research. This should be obvious or a profit making industry would not do it.

When political groups refuse to increase funding to educational institution to bloat their faculties with researchers and not teachers, the institutions raise student tuition. There is an impact. Parents in California were saving to send their children to the University of California. They were close; the tuition was $6,000/year. The university administration announced that they were going to raise tuition by a dream smashing 83%.

It should be obvious that professors hired to do research are not teachers. In addition, class size increase so fewer professors are required to do the teaching. The quality of education falls dramatically; students are paying more and getting less. The high tuition decreased the number of professionally trained graduates the industries need. Of course, they complain about tax payers are not supporting the universities. Then the very industries that cause the problem hire foreign educated engineers and scientists or move their companies overseas. The multifaceted circularity of industrialization of our universities should be as obvious as the results. Who is responsible—you are if you voted for them.