The focus should be on implementing specific programs
Most American parents appreciate the necessity of a solid education in today’s highly competitive world economy, but at the same time they are being pounded with evidence of the dire condition of the public school system. From parent to classroom to school district to statehouse, consensus is growing that the schools have got to be fixed now. Thus President Clinton’s decision to focus his State of the Union address Tuesday on education reform might have come straight out of a national focus group.
Clinton’s initiative covers a range from preschool to college. Indeed, his move to provide broad tax credits and tax deductions for higher education is being criticized as a handout to middle-class families. However, the $51 billion he would spend on education also includes some nicely targeted proposals for early schooling. He has asked, for instance, that much of the federal money go to school districts that agree to have their fourth- and eighth-graders tested in reading and math against national standards. Without solid testing, federal aid could be money down a hole.
Congress must now focus on implementing specific programs to carry out the educational reforms that both political parties have come to see as essential. Two are among the most pressing:
* Extending public education to preschoolers. Noting new scientific research about early child development, the president said he and the first lady will convene a White House conference on early learning and the brain this spring to explore the findings. The evidence is already in, however, and it indicates that educational outcomes can be dramatically improved if children are intellectually stimulated in the first four years of life. In 1994, Congress created a pilot program called Early Head Start, for youngsters from infancy to age 3. However, despite its demonstrable success at improving learning ability, the program has been chronically underfunded.
* Improving government oversight of educational expenditures. While Washington currently doles out $35 billion a year in subsidized and guaranteed student loans and work-study programs, it lacks any system to ensure that the money lands where it is needed or that it is spent on quality learning. Congress could help solve this problem later this year when it begins reforming the 600-page Higher Education Act of 1965.
At the state level, California’s education problems are especially pressing. In a 1995 federal assessment of fourth-grade reading skills, California ranked dead last. So it’s imperative that the state’s school districts move to get their fair share of new education spending like the $5 billion the president has earmarked for school construction. The federal government is extending a hand to states, and California needs to grasp hold.
