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Is Our Resolve as a Nation Weakening?
One resolve has made America a great nation: We want our children and grandchildren to have more than we had. We want our kids to surpass our own achievement. We want them to have better jobs and a better education than we did. We want our children and grandchildren to enjoy a higher quality of life than we've had. Education is vital to making this dream we have for our children a reality. But our resolve as a nation is weakening.
Americans care about quality education for a very practical reason: Education is the bedrock of a democracy. It's part of our belief and value system. It's a vital link in the American dream that all persons can achieve their hopes and dreams with an education, but they don't have much chance without that education. These beliefs have made us unique among nations. We know, rich and poor alike, that education is a key to making this dream a reality.
So what is causing us to weaken in our drive for a quality educational system in America? The primary cause of this weakness is the politicians who serve as our representatives on the local, state, and national levels. The public is led to believe that the vital issue of improving education will dominate legislative sessions if these politicians are elected, but we are being hoodwinked. In reality, these politicians ignore or even cut education-or claim they are helping by promoting educational programs but then not funding those programs.
What we need is a call to action for all citizens who know the importance of educating our young people, and who want to keep the American dream alive. We've told politicians that education is our highest priority. We need to insist that they shift from being politicians to being statesmen and insist that they deliver their promise for education. If they do not, we must vote them out of office.
Only two actions will cause real change in education: affirmative leadership by statesmen or a citizen revolt that demands change. The void of statesmen in government is glaring, and we're getting very close to the latter situation. As citizens, we must become active and vocal advocates for education. We must resolve to become the guardians of the American dream.
What can we do to strengthen our resolve? We need to get the desires and decisions of the politicians out-and the desires and will of the people in. What the politicians are doing isn't working. We must let teachers, administrators, parents, and citizens have a greater say in education, and we must hold schools accountable for better results.
We also need to insist that the politicians start funding the whole spectrum of education for optimum results rather than substance maintenance. Before every election, we need to ask politicians what they believe the educational issues are, and what they will do about them. Then we need to tell the politicians to make promises-and keep them. And we need to pledge not to contribute to any campaign-or vote for any candidate-who doesn't put schools first. Then we must keep that promise. It's time for our politicians to represent us-and if they don't, we should elect representatives who will.
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