(Excerpted from my AASA blog in February, 2012)
Attending the Third General Session of the AASA National Conference on Education in February of 2012, I was intrigued by the analysis presented concerning the goals of AASA and how the current political climate and the interests of political forces in our country appear to be in conflict with the basic core mission of American public education: To provide the basis for an informed citizenry in order to perpetuate our democratic society. There appears to be real disconnect between the more extreme positions of those ambitious politicians who would dismantle public education in lieu of privatization under the guise of “tax relief” and move their own political agenda forward and derail our primary purpose as educational leaders to offer equal opportunity to children from all walks of life. Legislators (who have little knowledge or even less capacity for understanding what the challenges of public education provide to educational leaders) have no claim in the race to improve American public education in my opinion. There is a hidden agenda to move forward with the private sector’s influence and many politicians use every effort to discredit the excellent work of American educators publically.
There appears to be an even greater political view that somehow denies the fact that we are the most diverse society that ever existed in the world, and that fails to acknowledge the great diversity that exists in our population. It is this rich variation in population that walks through the doors of American public schools each day seeking opportunity and validation for who they are. They are not one-size-fits-all cookie cutter children, nor are they quantifiable entities, rather they are individualistic, technologically savvy, and intense learners who present learning styles and needs that must be attended to by American teachers. It is time to scream loudly about the absurdity that politicians spin about the failing nature of public education and turn the media frenzy about the low percentage of “failing schools” into an intelligent and thoughtful discussion on the future of American public education. The fact is that the vast majority of American public schools are highly successful at offering quality educational services to the students that walk through the schoolhouse doors every day. That is why we are here today at AASA having the important conversation about American education and I am thankful that AASA is the voice of reason in this sea of uncertainty concerning the purpose and value of American public education. The future of our society depends on it.
