In the various readings for this class, I have noticed that most of them have a rather dismal attitude towards the current state of public schools in the United States. While some simply call for some reform, others paint a dire picture of the future if drastic changes are not enacted. As discussed in class, I feel that our schools are not as bad as many perceive. “Schoolhouse Crock” points out some of the paranoia in regards to education in the U.S., and, out of the readings so far, seems to paint one of the more realistic portraits of our public school system.

The article sets the stage by marking Sputnik as the point where everything changed. Thus began the paranoia, that our education might be inferior, and that this could have serious consequences for our country on the world stage. The paranoia continues today. I had an economics class last semester. One part of the class focused on education. The instructor (on numerous occasions) highlighted our status far down the rankings list. He was disgusted by this, and stunned at the countries above us, particularly Russia. Of course, I often question the validity of such rankings. I wonder if countries perhaps fabricate their numbers. I know in some countries, not all students actually go through formal education for twelve years. Lower performing students go to schools to prepare them for careers, and may not be factored into testing numbers that contribute to rankings. It is not my expertise, however, and is perhaps beside the point.

This same economics instructor discussed his desire for privatization of education in this country. This article also brings up the issue, that conservatives have pushed for. I feel that privatization would increase the inequality between schools. If students choose which schools to attend, those who can feasibly attend better schools will, leaving lower-performing schools with less funding, and thus less opportunity to improve. And what happens when better schools are full? Do schools have admission requirements, testing perhaps, that can allow them to only accept the best students? Privatization is not the answer. A good place to start is the inequality of funding. Funding schools based on local taxes perpetuates the inequality between schools. Whether we like it or not, this is largely a racial issue. Poor, urban, minority schools are poorly funded, while white suburban schools have swimming pools and multi-million dollar stadiums. Poor white schools in rural areas are also poorly funded, so the problem is not simply racial. However, the point is, funding inequality is an issue that must be addressed promptly if we are to improve our education system as a whole.