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The Education Industrial Complex
Paul Peterson, director of Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, seems to have a coined a new descriptive term for American education although the concept will not be unfamiliar to those who have read John Taylor Gatto: the education industrial complex.
Before the education-industrial complex was erected, America led the world in its commitment to education. From the earliest days of our Republic, many small towns each heavily invested in the community’s students, more so than any other nation. Teachers and students were held accountable to community expectations. Local investments contributed to a vibrant educational system that expanded rapidly, helping to propel the nation to the world’s pinnacle by World War II. Harvard Kennedy School
This “complex” is of course the interrelationships between unions, local school boards, and increasing state and national control of eduction. But one thing jumped out at me in the very first sentence of this paragraph.
Before the education-industrial complex was erected, America led the world in its commitment to education.
Really what has changed is our definition of what a “commitment” to education is. Peterson talks about communities. Local communities which invested heavily in education and expected certain standards to be met. Local investors. Parents who placed expectations on schools, teachers and their own children. A personal commitment of time and resources.
But today? “Commitment” is defined in dollars. How much teachers are paid. How much we spend per pupil. What kinds of technology is available to students. We have expectations, but we place them on the state rather than on our children and those directly responsible for teaching them.
Rather than holding our own children accountable for learning, and remaining involved in our local schools, we pressure the state to “do something.” We pressure the federal government for “accountability.” But we forget that accountability has always existed in American public schools. Because the school systems we support with our tax dollars are accountable to us and they always have been.
But now the education industrial complex has grown so powerful that it questions those who take responsibility for their children’s education. Because we do not have enough “commitment” to public education.
Hat Tip: WorldMagBlog
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