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It's so difficult to keep up with recent news events... and to assess them as a reflector of our society, our culture and our times. Just the sheer number of items indicative of concern is nearly overwhelming. Recent stories about the results of American students' abilities (or, as it turns out, not surprisingly, lack of them) relative to other countries of the world are devastating ... and were quickly snuffed from the media. After all, United States kids finishing right down there with the likes of such countries as Losotho, is not much of a boon to our national pride.

President Clinton, lurching toward the surface for a quick gasp of air before being once again submerged in pool of lacivious scandal, expressed distress over these results and pronounced something to the effect of "there's no excuse for this!" Well, Mr. President, you are absolutely correct ... there IS no excuse for this. But there are dozens of REASONS for it. If, in fact, a "good education" is a necessity for an informed and competent democratic citizenry, then we had best hurry up and figure out what has gone wrong ... and what continues to go wrong with our educational system. Of course, while we're about it, it might not hurt to repair those things we determine to have gone wrong... very likely a terribly painful series of repairs.

One of the most disturbing components of this entire issue is the fact that while we posture about "good educations" and their values to society and the individual, we seem completely incapable, or unwilling, to actually stipulate what a "good education" is! Nowhere, is there a functional working definition of "education" ... let alone a "good" one. Former attempts at quantification have been percieved of as being "unfair" or "biased." National Educational Standards are percieved to be direct threats to the various State political systems. Educational funding derives from highly diverse sources of varying degrees of wealth and multiple levels of dispersal.

Educationally, we have legislated that all students are equal ... in the particular sense that our school systems are required to provide an education appropriate to each individual student's needs at public expense. And yet, still failing to define "education" we now add the descriptor "appropriate" to the equation. This quagmire has resulted in inverse per pupil expenditures within our schools to the extent that some individual students with "special needs" are being funded by the public to nearly 100 TIMES the funds made available to other students whose needs are not percieved of as being "special." But even here, use of the term "special" is a double-edged sword because "the law" suggests "special" is not "normal" therefore individual students whose intellectual or "educational" abilities fall outside the "norm" are all considered special...at both ends of the population distribution. Thus, "above average" and very bright students are designated special as well (and the law provides such) but in our headlong precipitation to equality, we have determined that the provision of "appropriate" programs for these folks smacks of elitism or smug superiority and consequently such programs are relatively rarely offered and even more rarely funded.

So, now that everyone is "equal" we profess surprise that our average collective performance is so low. Why should this be so surprising? The very process of equalizing within a system of finite resources requires that such equalization be done to the lowest common denominator...that is, step one is to flatten the "curve"...and only after this has been accomplished can step two be attempted... that is, the raising of the now-flattened curve along the axis of achievement -- performance -- if you will.

Such advancement, however, rapidly becomes exponentially more expensive; for now the expense of simple maintenance of the "low end" component of the curve at its new level is comparatively astronomical... and, again, within a finite system of resources, the distribution of funds now slides toward the origin at the expense of the remainder of the curve.

Our nation, let alone our educational system, can ill-afford such a luxury. This is particularly true when such policies compete with the actual learning of our children. We have become fixated upon "teaching" and are ignoring learning. Where is the bulk of our educational budget these days? Beyond the obvious bloated adminstrative structure, and the universal "feel good" programs such as Physical Education/Sports, we find large staffs of "emotional support" personnel and guidance departments which no longer "guide" but serve as convenient scapegoats for a cover-the-administration's-ass role in the event of any unpleasant controversy with either student or parent.

Teachers are "certified"... as what? Oh, yes, "pedagogues"... they are taught all the intricacies of educational law, educational theory, classroom management (to include classroom decoration!), generation of lesson plans, grading theory, testing methods, educational politics, behavioral modification and management, emotional development, and much more of similar ilk. Uh, excuse me, but shouldn't our schools' teachers have some competence in the disciplines they are ostensibly "teaching?" Should not, for example, a teacher of Maths have more than a passing acquaintance with arithmetic? Should not a science teacher be capable of cross-disciplinary instruction backed with knowledge and enthusiasm? Should not language and effective and appropriate communication (both oral and written) be an universal expectation?

"Learning" has only a minimal role within our educational institutions. We concentrate on policies of equality, individual need, political correctness, avoidance of liability, denial of responsibility, popular acceptance, financial juggling, and finger pointing. Frankly, as in most institutions, we have accepted the concept that the role of this institution is self-perpetuation. Education is a secondary concern. Appearance of competence is tertiary. Illusion of discipline is quarternary.

What a shame that so many of our schools have become places for our children to "feel good" about themselves. That we are so concerned about making learning "fun" that we ignore the fact that learning can, indeed, be hard work! In fact, our children DO have jobs... not just play arenas... their job is to go to school and learn. Our teachers' job is to teach. With that mixture we might... just might... do better than Losotho the next time around!

And, for the record, far too many of our citizens are trained from very early in their educational careers that it's OK to be wrong 30% of the time! Think about that!! Talk about frightening! Yep, you passed... got a 70! Cool! By the way, anyone seen Dr. Greshen today?? His patient is ready.

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