CAPE UPDATE: THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL AGENDA

The key provisions of the "Goals 2000: Educate America Act" may be what some public education critics consider as just what the doctor ordered to repair the alleged despair of the American public education system. Although there is some quantitative data to indicate the American public education system is not in the chaotic condition its critics wish to portray. The national agenda, however, will present this nation and the individual states with some interesting and long avoided decisions.

The national agenda has raised the issue of creating world-class standards along with a series of federal review panels, i.e., National Education Goals Panel, National Education Standards and Improvement Council, National Skill Standards Board, etc. This action by Congress in and of itself is not necessarily wrong, but is diametrically in opposition to many state constitutions and the philosophical doctrine of local control.

Perhaps the most disheartening issue derived from this latest of political maneuvering, is while Congress and the president are focusing on establishing national standards most educators are still fixating on Goal 1: that all children in America will start school ready to learn.

Unfortunately, the discussion of national standards has created a diversion from the more serious issue of educational opportunity for all children. We know today which schools are functioning effectively. We also know the essential characteristics which create effective schools. The late Ronald Edmonds, through his work with several school districts across the country targeting at-risk children, asserted all children can learn. Edmonds stated: "We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us."

In a recent presentation before the American Association of School Administrators, Richard Foster, a national educational consultant, stated, "We can no longer just state that all children can learn, we should now state that all children must learn."

Obviously, the lawmakers preoccupied with the talks of world-class academic and performance standards did not derive anything from Jonathan Kozol's book (if indeed they read it) "Savage Inequities." Kozol, who cited some Missouri schools in his book, clearly demonstrated the gross inequities being experienced by our nation's students.

The situation strikes me as odd that public educational critics applaud this national agenda as a mandated solution to the problems facing our schools, which is opposite of the national movement to contain the enlargement of the role of national government. In the end, it will likely take an active role of the national Department of Education to reach a balance with state governments to address the difficult problems facing our society, including the educational opportunities for all our nation's children. The solutions will be found in tackling the real problems of addressing the needs of children in our inner cities or in isolated rural areas who are denied the educational essentials required for an equal opportunity. Once we even this grossly uneven playing field we can begin to effectively compete as an international leader, as we as a nation continue to listen to and read the political jargon related to what is wrong with our country and its educational system.

Neyland G. Clark is superintendent of Cape Girardeau public schools.