Nation at Risk

The ideas published in Nation at Risk all suggest a failure of our education system; however, much of what it says can be seen as bigger issues than simple education blunders.  For example, the writers of this document cite the fact that 23 million adults in America were illiterate.  I understand how this statistic can cause people to view the education system as failing, but I know that many people, myself included, mainly learned how to read from parents.  This could easily just be a reflection of the times, since most parents were more concerned for their children to find work.

                However, I do believe that the article is correct in saying that public support for education is necessary for success.  For the most part, it seems like a lot of people are against the cuts to publicly funded education.  Despite this support from the general public, it seems like most of our legislators are ignoring us.  Groups like the NEA are consistently trying to prevent these budget cuts.

                USA Today’s follow-up article makes a key point of highlighting what could have been the result of Nation at Risk.  Instead of improving education, Reagan made moves that hurt it.  For example, cutting education spending and advocating private school vouchers made the situation worse.  Both of these moves were intended motivate teachers to create a better education in our country.  Instead, teachers lost funding that could have helped them be more effective, while the private school vouchers provided reasons for parents to give up on public education.