THE RETURN OF INDENTURE

Education in Disorder: Americans are almost unanimous: Public schools are awful. (DANIEL HENNINGER, May 2, 2003, Wall Street Journal)

Some 71% of respondents believe most public-school students do the bare minimum to get by; 83% of teachers say parents who fail to set limits and create structure at home are a serious problem, and 81% think parents who refuse to hold their kids accountable for behavior or academic performance are a serious problem. Of teachers, 43% say they spend more time keeping order than teaching. Instead of more pay (12%), 86% of teachers said they'd rather have a school where student behavior and parental support were better.

Some 61% of African-American parents think inner-city kids should be expected to achieve the same standards as wealthier kids. Priorities: 82% of African-American parents think the biggest priority is raising academic standards; 8% want more focus on diversity and integration. Nearly all parents, 92%, think you should have to pass a standardized test to be promoted--and, if you fail, you should have to go to summer school or repeat the grade.

Employers who think local public schools are doing a good or excellent job: 42%. Some 59% of college professors rate public schools as fair or poor. Professors who say a high-school diploma means students have learned the basics: 31%. [In the 1970s, a friend who began teaching at the University of Texas told me most of his freshmen thought they were A students; "they're not."] Only 47% of professors and 41% of employers think public-school graduates have the skills to succeed in the work world. About 74% of employers and professors think public-school graduates' writing skills are fair or poor; same number for grammar and spelling. About 64% say graduates' basic math is fair or poor; 69% of employers feel personal organization is fair or poor.

Only 19% of teachers say parental involvement is strong in their school [parental involvement is one of the established keys to a successful school]; 87% of teachers think parents ought to limit their kids' TV time or should check their homework [clearly the inference is most parents do neither].

Of all Americans surveyed, 9% say, "The kids I see in public are respectful toward adults." Only 18% of teachers and 30% of students say, "Students treat each other with respect in my high school;" 19% of students say, "In my high school, most students treat teachers with respect." Americans who feel their schools have a serious discipline problem: 76%. [...]

Asked why talented teachers quit, school superintendents say: low pay and prestige--5%; politics and bureaucracy--81%. Sixty-seven percent of principals wish they were able to reward good teachers and remove bad ones [that is, they can't do either now]. Over 80% of principals and superintendents say they have more new mandates and responsibilities than they can handle. Eighty-four percent of superintendents say they spend too much time on special ed., and 50% say they spend too much on legal issues and litigation.

A wag might ask: If we're so stupid, how come the U.S. earned an A in technology and human performance in Iraq? Short answer: The armed services don't let stupid people enlist anymore. The Army now provides its own education, which is largely what most employers do as well today. A job is now a re-education camp for many public-school grads.

If we fail to voucherize education, this last seems like the most likely solution. Companies will be forced to operate schools themselves, perhaps bringing in students as early as grade school (before the current system can do them too much damage) in exchange for some post-grad obligation, not unlike the sytem the military uses. It's hard to believe that the MicroSoft's of the world can just stand by and pray for qualified applicants. At some point they may have to manufacture them. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 3, 2003 5:58 AM