Stand For Something, by John Kasich: on Education


John Kasich: Our broken public school system is beyond fixing

Our primary and secondary school system simply doesn't work. I'm not alone in suggesting that it's not about to work any time soon.

We simply don't have the rigor, the control in the classroom, the innovation, or the personnel to keep pace. Our public school leaders are reluctant to take any action or bring about substantive change because they're afraid they're going to get sued, or they fear the loss of market share, or they worry they'll innovate themselves straight out of their own jobs,

Our public school system is log jammed, broken-down, paralyzed... and it's been unable to reform itself. That's because it's beyond fixing, I'm afraid. I'm not just talking about schools in our inner cities; the problem runs to our small towns as well, and all across the country.

Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.176-178 May 10, 2006

John Kasich: Competition is what's missing from public school monopoly

The reason America can boast the finest system of higher education in the world is because colleges and universities compete for the right to teach our children , and yet it's this very competition that's missing from our primary and secondary school system. The little red schoolhouses that sprang up in the eighteenth century are in desperate need of refurbishing, but there's no incentive to rebuild because the public school establishment has a kind of monopoly. There are private schools where the spirit of competition is alive and well, and more and more we're seeing families of means opt out of public schools, but many parents can't afford to make that kind of choice for their children. Why shouldn't every parent have the right to choose where their children go to school? Why shouldn't teachers have to compete for the right to educate students?
Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.185-186 May 10, 2006

John Kasich: Not enough money for public schools? Aw, give me a break!

For too long now, the rallying cry among public school educators has been that if they just had enough money they could fix the problem. Aw, give me a break! Money is not going to fix the problems endemic to our primary and secondary system for our littl red schoolhouses--and we do our kids a great disservice when we hide behind this argument.

Parents get in line hoping to get a spot for their children in a new charter school program that was to begin the following school year.

I came away thinking we have no choice but to open up all of our schools in just this way, so that we can finally put some teeth into the "No Child Left Behind" mantra that passes for an education policy these days, and if we can't give parents full choice on the education of their own children then we ought to at least fight for a robust charter school movement.

Source: Stand For Something, by John Kasich, p.191-193 May 10, 2006

  • The above quotations are from Stand For Something:
    The Battle for America's Soul    ,
    by Rep. John Kasich.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Education.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by John Kasich on Education.
  • Click here for more quotes by Arnold Schwarzenegger on Education.
Candidates and political leaders on Education:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 24, 2019