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Working to restore public education |
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December 1, 2017 |
By U.S. Congressman Raúl Labrador
There are few things more important than our
children’s education. I know that from
experience – as the father of five kids who
attended Idaho public schools, and as the son of
a single mom who pushed me to go as far as I
could with my education.
We, as parents and educators, must never take
our education system for granted. The stakes, in
terms of our children’s future and the future of
our democracy, are just too high. Now, more than
ever, we must stop delegating our children’s
future to “edu-crats” in Washington and start
taking the initiative to give our children the
world-class education they deserve.
In his landmark 1980 book, "Knowledge &
Decisions," the economist Thomas Sowell made a
thorough study of government and business
decision-making and he drew two important
conclusions: First, the question of “who” makes
a decision is just as important as “what” gets
decided. Second, the best decisions are made by
those who are closest to the situation and are
most likely to be affected by it.
Sowell’s classic study not only validates
conservative principles, it also has major
implications for how we educate our children.
Ever since the U.S. Education Department was
founded in 1979, our schools and universities
have come under tighter and tighter federal
control, weakening the power of those who know
best and should be in control – our parents,
teachers, and local school boards.
The most notorious example of a federal
“one-size-fits-all” approach to education is
Common Core, which was implemented in Idaho in
2012. I’ve been a consistent opponent of Common
Core because I knew it would weaken Idaho’s
schools.
Under Common Core, there is less innovation,
teachers are teaching to the test, and there are
fewer dollars going to the classroom.
This year, I’ve been advocating for several
bills in Congress that would dismantle Common
Core, abolish the U.S. Department of Education,
and return money and control back to the states.
These bills include:
• H.R. 899,which abolishes the U.S. Education Department with one line:
“The Department of Education shall terminate on
December 31, 2018.”
• The Ending Common Core and Expanding School Choice Act, which rolls
back federal academic standards, assessments,
and accountability systems.
• The A PLUS Act, which allows state and local education systems to opt
out of federal education programs and focus on
solutions that fix their community needs.
• The Higher Education Reform Opportunity (HERO) Act, which increases
local control of higher education by allowing
states to develop their own accreditation
standards.
I am fighting hard to get these bills passed and
signed into law so that Idaho’s students have a
better chance to succeed.
With a fresh approach – one that empowers
parents and teachers at the lower level – we can
make sure our kids get the world-class education
they deserve. |
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