I’ve been thinking about Paul Krugman’s article, “The Uneducated American,” that appeared last month in the The New York Times. He’s spot on with his analysis of the roots of the crisis, the current state of support for public education, and the aftershocks our society will experience for the lack of foresight he describes by policymakers and ‘fiscal conservatives’.
While Krugman is an articulate spokesperson for raising the consciousness of the general population, one must wonder about the parents reading his article who might ask, ‘if Krugman’s correct, what should I, as a committed parent do for my own children; what’s the right path to follow so I can ensure the best possible situation for those in my care, even while I share the concerns that Krugman wrote about for our nation?’
The answer seems pretty clear – even for those of us deeply committed to public education. Until the policymakers, the legislators, the system-wide administrators get their acts together, there will be plenty of people who will choose to pay for excellence; excellent faculty working in caring, nurturing and supportive environments where children are challenged to grow intellectually and spiritually. Those places are called independent schools, and they are succeeding every day with thousands of children while the crisis Krugman describes deepens.
What do you think?
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