4 Arguments That Scream "Save Public Education!"

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http://www.alternet.org/education/4-arguments-scream-save-public-education



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1. Equal Opportunity is an American Mandate

In the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education, Chief Justice Earl Warren said that education "is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms." Equally eminent future Justice Thurgood Marshall insisted on "the right of every American to an equal start in life."

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2. Charter Advocate Michelle Rhee Is Wrong

She said, "I think that we are doing the wrong thing in our society when we are congratulating mediocrity and participation." But among American children, whether 'mediocre' or 'exceptional,' the ability to participate in a cooperative manner should be congratulated. Children have to learn to work with others before trying to outdo each other.

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3. The Classroom is Not a Warehouse

Education is the next great opportunity for the big names in business, such as Rupert Murdoch, who called K-12 "a $500 billion sector in the U.S. alone that is waiting desperately to be transformed." A McKinsey report estimates that education can be a $1.1 trillion business in the United States. Forbes notes: "The charter school movement [is] quickly becoming a backdoor for corporate profit."

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4. Starve the Beast, Starve Society

The U.S. Department of Education reported that $197 billion is needed to repair the nation's K-12 public school buildings. But the public system is going broke, starved by a lack of tax dollars. State budgets are providing less per-pupil funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did six years ago - in many cases far less.