December 5, 2006

If the Hartford Courant was doing its job, thats the headline we should have seen for the following story.  

As reported in the Hartford Courant, the State Department of Education released a proposal requiring stricter standards for high school graduation beginning in 2010-2011. 

Why?   Only 25% of students entering Hartford’s three public high schools graduate.

What purpose would it serve to lower that number?

As a former private school teacher, I knew very early in the school year if a student was not going to pass my course.  I would then work with the student to help he/she toward academic success. Requiring comprehensive exams will simply prevent more students from achieving a high school diploma.  If the exams will prevent more students from graduating what is the real purpose? 

Buried deep in the story about new standards is the following paragraph:

“The new requirements would also include two years of world languages — none are presently required — and three years of lab sciences, changes that would mean hiring more teachers and building more labs in many schools.” 

What a surprise, change the standards so more teachers need to be hired  and money added to already bloated school budgets. School funding in Connecticut has risen dramatically in the last twenty years, yet CMT test scores continue to go down.  Taxpayers continue to spend more money for poorer results. The solution offered by the State Department of Education is to blow more money on the broken socialistic public education system.   

Why not look at the problem instead of putting another coat of lipstick on the pig? If improving education for the children is the real purpose, why not allow school vouchers?

Private schools provide a better education for substantially less money than public schools. Unfortunately, it’s not about the education of children but jobs for adults.  Our public education system is all about adding jobs and union paying members to the NEA.  Until competitive forces are allowed to do their magic on Connecticut’s education establishment we are doomed to pay more for less, and our children will suffer.