The Silent Centrist

Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.

-BB King

How does our system currently work?

The United States has a decentralized education system. In other words, states run the education in the United States

Why is Education Important?

Generally speaking I think most people would say education is an important aspect of our culture and society. That by itself should warrant its importance as political issue. That aside, I believe there are other solid reasons why education is fundamental to our lives and, by extension, our politics.

1. Education is the great equalizer. Fundamental to our rights in the United States is our right to pursue our own happiness and our own destiny. Economic and societal differences at birth can often hinder that progress. Simply put, someone born into a family with few resources and connections faces much harder circumstances than those born into families with many resources and connections. Education is a way to close that gap.
2. An education population is a more self-sustaining population. Evidence is strong that those with more education earn higher wages and have higher earning potential than those with less education.^[1] Those with higher education are less likely to be reliant on programs like Medicaid.^[2] Higher education is also associated with higher training, higher productivity, and higher economic growth.^[3]
3. Education is an investment in our most valuable resource - our people. It is my personal opinion that gaining knowledge is a way to improve yourself personally. Growth is a fundamental part of a persons character and influence. Simply put, the more you know, the more capable you are, the more good you can do for those around you.

Who does it affect? (aka - the stakeholders)

Education is one issue that has an direct impact in the lives of just about everyone. Anyone that it might not affect directly is affected indirectly. But most directly you have teachers, students, faculty, family, employers, etc...

What role should the government play?

There are different schools of thought on the politics of education. (pun intended) Seeing as we have a collective need for education, the next logical step in the process is decide how it is done. This answers questions like: How should we organize education? When should it start/end? What topics should be covered? How should those topics be taught? Should it be mandatory? If so, what part should be mandatory?

To start to answer these questions I think we should start with the most basic reason why we should "centralize" education. (ie-create a school/university for a larger group to go to) Educating is difficult. That's why we should hire professionals. This helps solve two big issues. First, it covers our lack of knowledge on a topic. Simply put, I cannot teach my kids about ____ topic because I lack knowledge in that area. So lets find a professional who does know about that topic and have that person teach said topic. Two, educating is difficult. People learn in different ways, at different speeds, and often become interested in different subjects. A professional is much more likely to have success at educating than a non-professional. What does this mean? Hire teachers to teach and hold them to reasonable standards.

What are some issues within education?

National v State v Local

School Cirriculums

Book Bans

School Lunches and Before/After School Care

Standardized Tests