Dr. Edward Demenchonok
Philosophical Reflections During the 2004 Elections: Essays and Letters to The New York Times, USA Today, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Two decades ago, in 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education published the report "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform", stating that the erosion of the educational foundations of our society "threatens our very future as a Nation and a people". Unfortunately, the recommendations of the Commission were not enacted and the necessary educational reform was sacrificed to politics.
Today the gap between the needs of the more sophisticated high-tech socio-economic system and the average level of education is even broader. The erosion of education is evident in the low social value of education, in the lack of necessary progress in student performance, in grade inflation, and in inadequate funding. Here in Georgia, the University System of Georgia budget has, since 2001, been cut by $382 million, which is potentially harming academic quality.
The improvement of education is imperative for our times. But unfortunately it is not a major priority for the Bush administration. The short-term political gains of favoring special interests overshadow the long-term educational needs of the Nation. During the election campaign, President Bush has flaunted the No Child Left Behind Act, but refuses to acknowledge its failures. His administration has imposed new educational burdens on the states without providing the money to pay for them, thus undermining school reform. The problem is aggravated by the unsatisfactory handling of school reform by the Department of Education. According to the October 10, 2004, New York Times Editorial "How to Rescue Educational Reform", the Department of Education "has focused on divisive, politicized issues like school prayer while failing to provide state and local authorities with the oversight and technical help they need to get their accountability systems up and running", and that without providing the states with promised money, the reform effort will "collapse".
The increasing tuition, together with the skyrocketing cost of living, will make access to education ever more difficult for low income individuals, especially minorities. This marginalization of young people will negatively impact their lives. It will also aggravate the social problems of crime, violence, etc. Society will pay a heavy price for this since diminishing education parallels the increasing of the prison population.
Even if the economy is not in very good shape, the budget distribution is a question of priorities, and given the crucial role of education it should be the last to be sacrificed. The recent presidential debate showed the stark difference between President Bush's and Senator Kerry's approaches to education in the broad context of their views on domestic and foreign policy.
In the four years of the Bush administration, America has gone from a surplus of $236 billion to a projected deficit of $422 billion. The invasion in Iraq (in search for nonexistent unconventional weapons) is already costing us nearly $200 billion, in addition to more than a thousand lives. President Bush preferred to give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, while education remains underfunded. Tuition at public universities has increased by 35 percent. The No Child Left Behind Act passed extensive regulations on school systems but provided insufficient funds to meet them, thus passing on the financial burden of education reform to the states and local school districts who were already struggling with decreasing budgets. "No Child Left Behind" became mainly an empty campaign slogan.
America needs alternative policies and new leadership. John Kerry's plan for strengthening the economy and education, including $25 billion in aid to states and $50 billion in tax credits for a college education is a step in right direction. It gives hope for quality education and the enlightened future of America.
Dr. Edward Demenchonok is a university professor, the author of numerous books and articles. He is listed in several biographical dictionaries, including
Who's Who in the World, 2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 21st Century, and One Thousand Great Americans, and he is the recipient of the 21st Century Award for Achievements in Philosophy from the International Biographical Centre.
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