The Bottom Line - A Nation at Risk?

I was sharing with my classmates in a discussion forum how chapter four from School explains in detail the “whys” of the American system. This chapter is telling us “Just that so you know…” to which one would respond: “Aahh!” and it is all due to the fact of how our American system is designed to create, prepare, build. But to what extent does this system is willing to achieve these goals and objectives? It is as simple as explaining its beginning and how it has evolved from the start. The American system as we know it today starts with one question: How will a nation strive with competitiveness against its competitors? Ah! With education!

That is how government leaders decided that they needed to reform the educational system. Leaders decided that they needed to create a strong and competitive workforce by education the students to do so. However, the students were not the only ones that would be affected by these reforms, also administrators, families and communities will be involved in this whole matter. So, they came with the idea of creating what I call “scores machines” and implement a business-like minded design into the public schools. Anyways, like everything in life, one thing leads to another so after all those reforms many different school entities were born.

In 1980 the School Choice was a thing. It was basically because kids needed smaller and personalized education. With this idea the “Voucher” came into life which was created mainly to allow students to use public money to pay for private schools. After that, of course, religion must play a part in this Chronos, listen, if business did, why wouldn’t religion? Hence, private religious schools emerged, had their battles here and there but at the end they also prevailed, didn’t they? I bet you do know at least one private religious school. Charter schools surged by late 90’s as well and were considerate a new form of public school. To finish with all this story, home schooling became a thing by late 90’s and so did private schools that were ruled by business entities.

The beautiful aspect about all this progress is how reformers considered other aspects that needed to be implemented within the system to not to have just “score machines”. Psychological health services, tutoring among others. This last are an example of progress because by using them we understand that our students and community are more than just scores or a product that needs to be perfect to beat competitors.

A Nation at Risk? I honestly do not think so, in the event that there is always progress, and you know why? Because progress will neve be perfect at first, that is why is called progress. Within progress a nation learns from failure, events, and opposition to reform itself and be better every day. As long as the nation knows that “You can’t teach a child how to think unless you have something for him to think about.” Which are the wise words enounced by Georgann Reaves.