The Real Problem Behind Education

Thanks to Mr. O'Connor's suggestion, I was finally able to interview Peter Smagorinsky, a professor from the University of Georgia, after school today. First of all, I'd like to mention how incredibly knowledgeable he is, and although I know he really wanted to share his personal opinion on education with me, he was very kind in answering my questions head on. But in addition to praising his expertise, I realized something new today during our interview.

See, the main question I was getting at was this: why do politicians constantly express support for more federal involvement in the education system? Prior to the interview, I had considered two possible answers to this question. Here they are:

1) Politicians just go along with the party platform. As both the republicans and democrats have demonstrated, neither of them want to reduce federal influence in education. Instead of thinking for themselves, they just blindly follow the likes of John Boehner, Obama, and Harry Reid. 

2) It is politically expedient to do so. A politician could give a speech to a giant crowd and assure them that he or she would make education a federal priority to a standing ovation. "It's for your children! A vote for the other guy means a vote for crumbling schools!" 

After talking to Professor Smagorinsky however, he let me in on a little secret - the most obvious answer is usually the right one. He suggested that it's likely that politicians are just clueless. Sure, they might have good intentions, but in the end, they try to make a difference, and they just don't realize what they're doing.

This also reflects the nature of government. Isn't it interesting how people just assume that our fellow public servants in Washington know what they're doing? And what if they don't? Many of the congressman and women haven't been in a school for twenty years! What makes the American people think that they understand the problems facing schools today? What makes the people think that they understand any of the problems facing Americans today? These people are just like you and me. And we're supposed to believe that they understand the root cause of declining test scores?

Once again, I'd like to thank Mr. Smagorinsky for the comprehensive interview. And I'll let you in on a little secret - he wants to get rid of the Department of Education altogether!