THE GREAT REVOLUTIONARY EXPERIMENT of voting for public servants in the United States happens again tomorrow. At least five crucial questions about education remain untouched throughout the campaigns for president through local school board members. How do you think your vote for these people will influence answers to these questions?
1. How much does it cost for a learner to learn /a/ (substitute any fact you want for /a/)? Without knowing an answer to this question, taxpayers cannot know that money given to schools will be used directly to increase learning.
2. What facts and practices about life must learners demonstrate in order to live a productive, self reliant life (however you define that life) in 2020? Without knowing candidates’ responses to this question, taxpayers cannot know how prepared for participating in or changing civilization educators and public policy makers intend for students.
3. How many of which students will educators, with public approval, accept as failures to learn from the schools curriculum? Without knowing this, voters cannot make an informed judgment about the adequacy of instruction paid for by taxes, since over one-third of all public school students now fail at least to complete 12th grade.
4. How does your candidate expect educators to increase learning while funding to public schools will likely decrease until the national budget is balanced? This question addresses the existing budgetary situation in California and reportedly other states.
5. What justification does your candidate use to allow public schools to continue rationing learning, by requiring learners to participate in group projects? In fact, learning occurs one learner at a time, and some learners must wait for slower learners to complete their lesson before the next one begins.
Probably you have considered these questions. Do you know how the candidates for whom you vote answered them?