Our Educational System

By Guest Column -- Lois Virgo —— Bio and Archives February 27, 2017

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I see an awful lot of criticism about Education Secretary Betsey Devos, the most frequent is that she has not worked in the public education system. Right there I see a problem, an admission that public education is not the same as private education. Isn't that exactly the issue? With more demand for school choices I see the challenge being that we need to set our sights on improving public education so that it is on a par with private institutions. Who better to do that than someone who has been involved in offering a higher level of education? While I am not unsympathetic to the challenges faced by the state run school system, I do think that our ranking in the world proves that we are missing the boat. And, I admit, I don't know the answer but obviously, neither does the Federal government. If it did, we wouldn't have a problem. So, can't we all, educators, parents, voters, agree that we are not doing the job (which in no way is the fault of the classroom teachers or even administration on a local level) and work toward making our education system at least as good as those countries who are leaving us in the dust? A great leader doesn't need to know all the details, they need to surround themselves with quality people who do have them.