Article Released September 7, 2006

 

The Intentional Destruction of the Middle Class

As reflected in America’s continued failing public education

Article Released September 7, 2006 - - On April 17, 2006, the headline on the cover of Time Magazine said “DROP OUT NATION.”  In a 9-page special report, it conformed what countless others in the media have increasingly been reporting; essentially that America is faced with a public education system that’s failing at a devastating rate while putting our nation at risk.  Time Magazine concluded that “the number of high school drop outs is higher – much higher – than you think.  Nearly 1 in 3 public high school students won’t graduate.  Nearly half of all dropouts ages 16-24 are unemployed.”

On April 11, 2006 “360 with Anderson Cooper” (CNN) did a special report on the growing educational crisis with the headline: “FAILING PUBLIC SCHOOLS – BROKEN SYSTEM.”  He concluded that, “the state of our public schools is pitiful.  Many of our public schools resemble schools in a third world country, and people just don’t care.”  This was a sentiment which was echoed by many of the students who were interviewed as well.

The sight of run-down schools, filthy bathrooms, dysfunctional pluming, lack of power, broken systems, crumbling ceilings, broken windows, pest problems, exposed electrical wires and a long list of other problems that puts children’s health and safety at risk, leaves no doubt that something is seriously wrong with this picture.  Ironically, this described one of the high schools located near the White House named “The Pride of Washington.”  This was enough though to outrage people like Oprah who after becoming aware of this silent crisis and the fact that less than 50% of minorities don’t graduate from high school, and only about 6% of them get to attend college, decided to devote two shows doing an expose on the failing of America’s public education (“American Schools in Crisis”) in an effort to draw a national attention to this silent crisis which puts every American at risk directly or indirectly.  “Most Americans have no idea how bad things really are,” said Oprah who was deeply troubled by the fact that education is no longer an equal opportunity for all.   Another person who was just as outraged and concerned was Bill Gates who said during the interview, “Any business under these appalling conditions (failing to produce results) would go bankrupt quickly.”
 
Sadly, reporting on a situation as dire as this (and this is only the tip of the iceberg) in which the future of millions of children, especially from low income families and minorities, is unfairly stolen from them, and whose legitimate voice can’t be heard, is not enough.  Not as long as politicians are not invited to come on the show for an honest debate and to be held responsible for their actions or lack thereof (on the spot) with a consistent follow up on their promises.  Politicians are masters in creating the perception that they are doing something to address serious issues, but their deeds don’t match their words.   And not until the public takes control of the political machinery which is driven by money and doing what’s politically correct rather than what’s in the best interest of the public and the children in particular.  

It’s not that “no one seems to care” about putting children’s safety and health at risk and not providing an environment that’s conducive to learning which undermines academic success and emotional well-being which ultimately create a breeding ground for violence and self-destructive behavior (ranging from drugs and teen pregnancy to teen suicide) for which society will have to pay in more ways than one (from welfare to social ills).  It’s the reality that there is a disconnect between those who are in a position of power (and often clueless since they don’t have their own kids in public schools) and pay lip service as they are more concerned about their next election rather than the next generation, and those who do care: the little people, the disfranchised and the powerless who are trapped in a cycle of failure and despair forced to be at the mercy of a dysfunctional and corrupt system that continues to waste billions of tax payers dollars, as reported by the media.   America is faced with a broken system which has created public schools that are fast becoming the schools of the poor and a breeding ground for violence and drug abuse not to mention growing social ills.  As a result education, which opens the doors of opportunity to achieving the American Dream, is no longer an equal opportunity for all.  The American Dream is fast becoming the Impossible Dream for a growing number of people.

Another sad fact is that education is no longer about educating society in the truest form by preparing kids for success in college, the workforce and beyond with meaningful life skills while treating the body, mind and spirit as a whole.  Instead, education has become a big business and a political football all driven by money (a cash cow).   Few would deny that there is a systematic process of dumbing-down our kids by conditioning them not to think critically (student are taught what to think rather than how to think).  Perhaps it’s because politicians have decided that they don’t need to educate American citizens anymore as they want people to work at McDonald.  Why?  Since America has lost practically all manufacturing industry (factories) and has become a service industry, the jobs are no longer there.  Perhaps politicians have a vested interest in having an uneducated population because it’s much easier to manage, control and influence the outcome of political campaigns (as uneducated people are not likely to challenge questionable practices and corruption that put the quality of their lives at risk and/or justifiably demand accountability).   

Whether there is a conspiracy or not, the outcome remains the same.  The continued decline of the state of America’s public education system is symptomatic of a much larger issue, namely, the intentional destruction of the middle class by politicians from both parties for self-serving agendas and ideology which if brought into the public’s domain through a rational debate, it would invariably create a political bombshell and a breaking story similar or even greater in scale than the illegal immigration issue (which is part of the equation). .

Though the continued failing of America’s public schools has been recognized by many high governmental officials, well-respected economists and the media and the signs are everywhere from low test scores (America ranks near or at the bottom on international test scores despite the fact that America spends more money on education than any other nation in the world) and an increasingly high rate of high school drop outs to an increase in social ills (from violence to self-destructive behavior on campuses) and teachers shortage (studies show that 50% of teachers leave the profession within five years not because of low pay but because of a negative school environment), yet no meaningful actions are being taken by anyone to address this very serious issue that puts America’s national security at risk as well.
In the words of Los Angeles talk radio show host, Doug McEntyer (KABC), “Since the failing of our public education system is everyone’s problem, it’s in the best interest of every sector in the community, including the media, to step up to the plate and become part of the solution.”   Anything short of that is sensationalizing the news for rating purposes which doesn’t really accomplish anything for the good of our country.
If education is to be a truly an equal opportunity for all including children from low income families and minorities.  If we’re to have a free and a thriving society, and if we’re to cease to be a “Nation at Risk,” we must face one of our greatest challenges however uncomfortable, to either become part of the solution by going beyond complaining, and taking action to stand up for what is right (vs. what’s politically correct) or become part of the problem by denying and ignoring the problem thus suffering the severe consequences for which every American will have to pay big time.  

In the face of an increasingly competitive and technologically driven global economy, shrinking job opportunities, new and enormous challenges such as global terrorism, global natural disasters, the threat of a global pandemic and social unrest, complacency is simply a luxury Americans can no longer afford.  Perhaps our needs will ultimately be better served if our actions are guided by the words of Theodore Roosevelt, former U.S. president who believed that, "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."