Stupid in America

Yes, 'Stupid in America' conjures up all sorts of negatives about public education in the United States.  This is a program narrated by John Stossel.

Sadly, it is a program tainted by innuendo, inferences and to few facts.  The long and short of the program is this; unions and bureaucracy cause many of the problems in public education, charters schools work, public education is failing our children and tenure is bad. 

Let me debunk some of this nonsense.  First, there are good and bad charters as well as good and bad traditional public schools.  Stossel gives the impression that charters are the only viable option for a child receiving a decent education.  Plenty of facts are out there pointing out the shortcomings of some charters as well as illustrating the strength of many traditional public schools. 

Stossel is intent upon bashing unions.  That's where we are in America.  The reality is that the vast majority of unions do an excellent job of advocating positive practices in education or other professions.  By the way, having been a teacher for a good period of time, I can tell you that when a district wants to get rid of a poor teacher they often do so well before they receive tenure.

In terms of schools failing, allow me to offer this.  When a school fails, there are plenty of people responsible for its lack of success; the community environment, a lack of jobs (with a decent tax base), parents, a culture and cycle of hopelessnes, students, and more.   Don't pin a schools lack of success on the school alone.

Education is a hell of a lot more complicated than Mr. Stossel thinks.  Methinks Mr. Stossel ought to really reconsider the name 'Stupid in America.'

Dick