Saving Freedom: on Education

George W. Bush: NCLB: Dropped state flexibility to garner Dem support

Had the president tried to pressure me to withdraw my amendment, it would have been easy for me to say "no." But I'm a sucker for gentle persuasion. The president promised that if I withdrew my amendment, he would make sure the state flexibility provision would be added back at some point. I agreed to withdraw the amendment. The president said "trust me" when he promised the provision would be added back, but it never happened.

George W. Bush: OpEd: NCLB's "teach the test" results in poorer education

President Bush thought the requirements to measure programs in No Child Left Behind would improve schools. They didn't. In fact, many teachers tell me the effort to "teach the test" in order to meet the requirements of NCLB is actually resulting in poor education. I don't have to recount the terrible statistics of America's education systems. We are losing ground to practically every other industrialized country in the world. At a time when our workforce has to compete with the best and brightest workers in a dynamic and competitive global economy, we are failing our children by keeping them in a government-run, socialist system.

Jim DeMint: NCLB: More spending but no appreciable quality improvement

The president promised that if I withdrew my amendment, he would make sure the state flexibility provision would be added back at some point. I agreed to withdraw the amendment. The president said "trust me" when he promised the provision would be added back, but it never happened. The result of NCLB was more federal control of education and a lot more federal spending but no appreciable improvement in the quality of America's government-run education system

Jim DeMint: True socialists guard government-run education

True socialists will jealously guard the universal, government-run education system and fight all attempts to create more choices with competitive, independent schools. That gives the government (and those who run the government) control over the values and beliefs of every generation. Freedom lovers believe parents should have many choices of schools, and the money spent on public education should follow students to the school of their choice.

Jim DeMint: Parents are trapped unless they can afford private school

Pres. Bush thought the requirements to measure programs in No Child Left Behind would improve schools. They didn't. In fact, many teachers tell me the effort to "teach the test" in order to meet the requirements of NCLB is actually resulting in poor education. We are losing ground to practically every other industrialized country in the world.

Jim DeMint: 1962 banning of school prayer also banned respect and honor

However, in the 1962 "Engel v. Vitale" case, the Supreme Court ruled against a New York school board requiring every class to start each day with a prayer. Unfortunately, the Court did more than ban God and prayer from public schools. It implicitly banned everything else included in the [daily prayer]: respect and honor for parents, teachers, and country. When the Supreme Court banned the teaching of respect for God, it effectively rejected the traditionalist worldview and replaced it with a secular-socialist worldview. The "Engel v. Vitale" case began a cascade of court decisions & legislative action at the federal level that have dismantled the "wall of virtue" that has served as the foundation of freedom in America for generations.

Jim DeMint: Apply faith; education is not government responsibility

Faith, virtue, and morality are essential elements of the character of individuals. Our government cannot instill these characteristics into our children. American should, therefore, demand the freedom to teach religious concepts and to apply the values derived from faith. Freedom of speech must include teaching and saying that some things are right and some things are wrong based on religious convictions and commo sense. We cannot allow our government to promote immoral destructive behavior or to classify religion-based moral opinions as "hate speech."

The development of faith and values begins at home, but parents should be able to send their children to school that reinforce their worldviews. Churches should consider how they could expand their ministry vision to include education and citizenship training. Faith without applications is meaningless, just as "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

Jim DeMint: A-PLUS Act: step away from federal control via school choice

The teachers' unions, and most Democrats have consistently opposed this idea. Central control of education is essential to their goals of central control of our culture. Those who want to decentralize the control of education support the A-PLUS Act as a simple and logical step toward creating a better education system through innovation, competition, and choice.

Jim DeMint: $5,000 per-student voucher to create private investment

The Zelman decision means government and state legislators now have freedom to provide vouchers or tax credits for children to attend any school their parents choose--government, private, or religious. Considering most states now spend more than $10,000 per year for every child in government schools, even a $5,000 scholarship to independent schools would simulate the development of a wide range of new school choices.

Vouchers would encourage massive private-sector investments in America's education system. Rather than hurt public education, school choice would increase the number and quality of schools available to the public.