Op-Ed: Focusing education on children, not money

Will the proposed plan for a longer school year or a federalized education system be a win for the children or just more spending waste?

There are some teachers in the nation who believe going to a four-day school week with eight hours a day would be optimal for the students, according to The Link. The idea may be a positive but where will the funding come from? What it comes down to, though, is the economy instead of the children. When the question relates to money, the main focus is steered away from the benefits to the education of the kids. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has added billions to reforming the school system. That funding though focuses on test assessments, gathering data, improving the effectiveness of teachers and helping low-performing schools. Nowhere in the wording is that money going directly to those who need it the most -- the children. Yes, testing is important. Shuffling through scores and data is needed. But shouldn't the prime focus not be on tests but the actual students? There is a more intensive focus on the younger students prior to the age of five. That is wonderful. Those little tykes will be ready for an eight hour day when they hit the first grade to sit in a chair and be lectured about a standardized test that will prove to the world they are smart. Many of the proposals target the mainstay of the Bush education policy, standardized testing. The tests have become an integral part of the curriculum; in some cases the entire focus of what lessons will be taught in a given year. Green Change reports: ]"Obama's the fourth president in a row who has been in favor of standards-based reform and test-driven accountability," said Jack Jennings, a former Democratic congressional aide and president of the Center on Education Policy. "Obama's very much in a line of four consecutive presidents -- two liberals, two conservatives; two Democrats and two Republicans -- who are all in favor of the same kind of reform." During last year's campaign Obama promised to improve the public school system. That is still his pledge according to his web site.

We will recruit an army of new teachers and develop innovative ways to reward teachers who are doing a great job, and we will reform No Child Left Behind so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.

Perhaps I am naive. I don't have a doctoral degree after all, but wouldn't it be more beneficial to focus on helping children relearn the love of learning? Maybe if the education system operated in a way that kids loved going to school because it was fun those test schools would climb all on their own. When kids aren't bored they flourish. They embrace new ideas and knowledge with very little effort on the part of adults. So perhaps those billions would be better spent obtaining science kits, books, art supplies and toys that would expand a child's world while they are locked in a room for eight hours a day. The thing is, that spending makes sense and those spending are from the government. Sorry kids, it's another year of studying for a standardized test for you.