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'Saving' Public Schools Not a Money Thing

Better education can't be legislated, or bought—parents have to make the effort

By Sam Biddle, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 21, 2008 4:29 PM CDT

(Newser) – As dissatisfaction with the nation’s No Child Left Behind policy grows, it seems educators, politicians, and businessmen all have their own take on how to “save” the US public school system—with little consensus. Gary Stager, in Good, examines the overwhelmingly complex difficulties facing the nation’s ailing schools, and why responsibility—and a solution—lies with parents, not polemicists.

Stager details the historical movement toward standards-based, top-down reform in public education, with little consideration for what actually comprises an enriching educational experience. Rather than more exams and more incentives, Stager contends, what public schools need is parents with genuine concern for their local schools, and the determination to hold local government responsible.

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GOOD Magazine's Gary Stager examines the complexity of America's failing public schools, and why "saving" them from the top down won't help children. (Getty Images)

"If every parent was vocally fighting for the best public schools%u2014instead of some of the most involved and caring opting out in disgust%u2014the government would be forced to listen," Stager writes. (Getty Images)

"The singular accomplishment of No Child Left Behind is the erosion of community support for public education," Gary Stager writes in Good. (Getty Images)

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If every parent was vocally fighting for the best public schools for their children—instead of some of the most involved and caring opting out in disgust—the government would be forced to listen. - Gary Stager

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'Saving' Public Schools Not a Money Thing