There has been much criticism of public schools lately, especially as standardized test scores show a continual decline nationwide. One of the problems cited is a lack of discipline. It's clear that teachers and administrators have fewer ways to enforce discipline nowadays: corporal punishment has been forbidden, and even time-honored methods such as standing the miscreant in a corner now risk lawsuits for violating the subject's civil rights. Discipline is important for learning, however: unless students establish good study habits, proper diet, etc., they will lack essential skills for accumulating and using knowledge.
There is a class of schools that avoids the slide into undisciplined mediocrity. These are military schools, where rigorous discipline is incorporated into the curriculum. Often run by retired military professionals, these institutions instill pride and respect in their students. Unfortunately, there are too few such schools, and (except for occasional scholarship recipients) their price range is beyond the means of most families.
These observations suggest an obvious way to put America's educational system back on track. Rather than leaving things in the hands of myriads of local school boards, the administration of all secondary schools should be assigned to the Department of Defense, with explicit instructions to transform them into local variations of boot camp. (Living on campus would probably not be necessary, however.)
There are several immediate benefits from such a move. First, curricula around the nation would be standardized, making it easier for a student to change schools. Second, tax money would be saved in purchasing large quantities of books, uniforms, and cafeteria food, using the economy of scale for which the Defense Dept. is noted. Third, the Selective Service program could be phased out -- school rosters would provide all necessary information (and the assimilation of recruits into the armed forces would go much more smoothly). Fourth, weekday gang activity and other undesirable teenage behavior would be sharply curtailed: after a typical school day, most students would be too worn out to do anything else. Finally, and most importantly, a proven system of discipline would be brought back into the realm of education, providing an environment where students could reach their true potential.
There will be those skeptics who do not believe a national educational system would work. But the same objections were raised when the national income tax was adopted, and we can see how well that turned out. I believe that once this plan is adopted, this date will be seen as the turning point for our nation and the world.