➉➊➋➌➍➎➏ ➐➍➊➑➒ ➓➓➏ ➓➔→➣
↔↕➙ ➛➜➝➙➞➟➙➞
On the Fence
Is education a right or a privilege?
Beyond right or privilege, education is
a duty of democratic government
A necessary privilege, education
must equip the citizenry
Historically, education in America has
undergone dramatic changes in purpose
and availability. After the Revolutionary
War, common schools predominated.
Generally, they were one-room buildings
with a single teacher. Parents provided
tuition and housing and determined what
was to be taught. The focus beyond read-
ing, writing and arithmetic was religious
studies and the virtues of family, religion
and community. There were few rural
schools. Wealthy parents employed pri-
vate tutors. Education was a privilege.
✯✎✍✑✄☎✍✞✎✏✛ ✔✏ ✌✞✰✡✑✍✑✂✡✛ ✱ ✔✞✎✑✞✕✞ ✞✌☞ -
cation is fundamentally a privilege, not a
right. However, I also think the two are
connected and dependent upon the other.
✁✂✄☎✆ ✝✞✟✞✠✆✂✡ ☎✠☛☞✞✌ ✍✁☎✍ ☎ ✁✞☎✎✍✁✏
democracy required an educated citizenry
of informed voters to protect Americans’
rights and freedoms from threats inside
and outside the country. He also felt it was
the duty of government to foster educa-
tion so that all citizens could compete eco-
✡✂✄✑✒☎✎✎✏✓ ✝✞✟✞✠✆✂✡ ✔✞✎✑✞✕✞✌ ✞✌☞✒☎✍✑✂✡
enhanced both democracy and economy.
In 1779, he proposed the Bill for the More
✖✞✡✞✠☎✎ ✗✑✟☞✆✑✂✡ ✂✘ ✙✡✂✚✎✞✌☛✞✛ ✆☎✏✑✡☛
➦➤➡➴ ➦➧➷➡➤➧➷➭➥
➲➳➵➸➳ ➺➸➲➳➻➼
➚➽➸➬➽➾➘➘➵➮➾➘➱✃➾❐➸➺➽➹➻➘
their full potential, become active par-
ticipants in democratic society and help
build wealth. Noah Webster particularly
supported a tax-supported common edu-
cation system that would mix people of
✌✑✟✞✠✞✡✍ ✔☎✒✢☛✠✂☞✡✌✆ ✍✂ ✁✞✎✜ ✠✞✑✡✘✂✠✒✞
bonds of democracy by breaking down
divisions between ethnic, economic, reli-
gious and racial groups. Education was to
prepare citizens to work together to build
the economy and support our new nation.
State university education was tuition
free in America from Lincoln’s land grant
universities of 1860s until the 1960s.
During the 1960s, students marched in
the civil rights movement, demonstrated
against the Vietnam War, and supported
women’s rights and reproductive choice.
Their speaking truth to power prompted
that all free children, male and female,
should have free education paid for by the
government.
That concept was opposed by racists
and the wealthy who resented being taxed
to educate poor, racially diverse children,
making them better able to compete and
advance. The bill failed to pass in 1778,
1779 and 1780. In 1796, an edited version,
Act to Establish Public Education — which
did not establish a curriculum or public
oversight — passed.
In 1797 William Godwin published
The Enquirer in which he warned man-
datory public education would become
✣✞✡✠✏ ✙✑✆✆✑✡☛✞✠ ✍✂ ✆☎✏✛ ✤ ✁✞✠✞✥✆ ✍✂✂ ✄☞✒✁
public opinion for its own uses. As God-
win forewarned, most public elementary
and high school curriculums today ig-
nore or gloss over America’s horrendous
past and current policies including, but
not limited to, the near extermination of
the Native Americans, slavery, U.S. over-
throw of democratic governments around
the world, and our refusal to join other
countries to address global problems. This
whitewashed curriculum does not prepare
citizens to question and/or resist govern-
ment’s motives and actions at home and
around the world.
From the late 1800s through 1930, a
movement grew based on the belief ev-
erybody should be encouraged to reach
debt payments taken from their social
security. This massive debt burden
decreases home ownership across the
country and often forces people to de-
lay retirement. Many young American
lives are pressurized by educational
debt burden and cost of health care in-
surance. Turning earnings into interest
payments decreases money circulating
in the marketplace.
education here.”
Honest education prepares citizens
to participate in and direct government.
For that reason it is essential to provide
☎✟✂✠✌☎✔✎✞ ✞✌☞✒☎✍✑✂✡ ✚✁✑✎✞ ✆✁✑✞✎✌✑✡☛ ✍✁✞
curriculum from religious, political and
corporate oversight.
Currently many Americans are
priced out of higher education. Today
69 percent of college graduates owe on
average $29,800. More than 44 million
Americans carry student loans that to-
tal $1.4 trillion. Research from Citizens
Financial Group suggests 60 percent
of student loan borrowers don’t expect
☎✡ ✑✄✄✞✡✆✞✎✏ ✞✟✞✒✍✑✕✞ ✍✂✂✎ ✑✡ ✍✁✞ ✁☎✡✌✆
✂✘ ☛✂✕✞✠✡✄✞✡✍ ✍✂ ✄☎✡✑✜☞✎☎✍✞ ☎✡✌ ☎✟✞✒✍ ✍✂ ✜☎✏ ✑✍ ✂✟ ☞✡✍✑✎ ✍✁✞✑✠ ✦✧✆✓ ★✂✄✞ ✁☎✕✞
✩☞☎✎✑✍✏ ✙✪✫✬ ✞✌☞✒☎✍✑✂✡ ☎✡✌ ☎✟✂✠✌☎✔✎✞
higher education is necessary to main-
✍☎✑✡ ☎✡ ✑✡✕✂✎✕✞✌ ✒✑✍✑✭✞✡✠✏ ☎✡✌ ✮✂☞✠✑✆✁✑✡☛
economy. The need for educated citizenry
goes beyond the question of right or privi-
lege. It is actually the duty of a truly demo-
cratic government.
✲✡✞ ✌✞✰✡✑✍✑✂✡ ✂✘ ✜✠✑✕✑✎✞☛✞ ✑✆ ☎ ✠✑☛✁✍
✤☛✠☎✡✍✞✌ ☎✆ ☎ ✜✞✒☞✎✑☎✠ ✔✞✡✞✰✍✛ ☎✌✕☎✡✍☎☛✞✛ thought and discussed to help inform any
✂✠ ✘☎✕✂✠✳ ✴ ✚✁✞✠✞☎✆✛ ☎ ✠✑☛✁✍ ✑✆ ✤✆✂✄✞✍✁✑✡☛ proposed changes or courses of action.
✍✂ ✚✁✑✒✁ ✂✡✞ ✁☎✆ ☎ ✵☞✆✍ ✒✎☎✑✄✳ ✂✠ ✤✍✁✞
Choice: Most local educational systems
power or privilege to which one is justly
entitled,” according to Merriam Webster.
✁✞ ✂✜✜✂✠✍☞✡✑✍✏ ✘✂✠ ✞✌☞✒☎✍✑✂✡ ☎✟✂✠✌✞✌
to an individual citizen in a given com-
✄☞✡✑✍✏ ✂✠ ✒✂☞✡✍✠✏ ✠✞✮✞✒✍✆ ✶☎✷ ✍✁✞ ✕☎✎☞✞
placed on a given level and type of educa-
✍✑✂✡✛ ✶✔✷ ☎ ✘✂✠✄☎✎ ✑✡✍✞✡✍ ✍✂ ✜✠✂✄✂✍✞ ✍✁☎✍
level of education to all of its citizens, and
✶✒✷ ☎ ✒✂✄✄✑✍✄✞✡✍ ✂✘ ✠✞✆✂☞✠✒✞✆ ✍✂ ✞✄✜✂✚ -
er interested citizens with access to that
level of education. Thus, an individual
citizen has the privilege of obtaining an
education to the level at which the com-
✄☞✡✑✍✏ ✁☎✆ ✌✞✍✞✠✄✑✡✞✌ ✑✍ ✍✂ ✔✞ ☎ ✤✠✑☛✁✍✳
and has committed time and resources in
✆☞✜✜✂✠✍ ✂✘ ✜✠✂✕✑✌✑✡☛ ✍✁☎✍ ✤✠✑☛✁✍✓✳
Regardless of where one stands on
whether education is a right or a privilege,
I think most parents and people are more
concerned with direct personal impact —
✆✜✞✒✑✰✒☎✎✎✏✛ ☎✒✒✞✆✆✛ ✑✡✍✞☛✠☎✍✑✂✡ ☎✡✌ ✜✠✂✆ -
perity. People want access to the dynamic
levels of education that their community
has decided to provide to its citizens, with-
out barriers or denial on a prohibited ba-
sis. People also want education that will
enable them and their children to better
integrate socially into their communities
and nation while being able to support
themselves and their families economi-
cally. Lastly, education is of little value if
it is not helping individual citizens equip
themselves with tools, abilities and criti-
cal thinking skills that empower them to
achieve a more prosperous individual
future while also making positive contri-
butions to their communities and nation.
What many people from all paths of life
are seeing, feeling and experiencing is the
current systems of education in place are
✡✂✍ ✞✟✞✒✍✑✕✞✎✏ ✜✠✂✌☞✒✑✡☛ ☎✒✒✞✆✆✛ ✑✡✍✞☛✠☎ -
tion or prosperity, at least to the levels
they should be.
There is no clear and easy process to fol-
low, nor solution to implement, that will
result in overhauling our educational sys-
tems to achieve the results we want. Some
systems do not need much overhauling to
begin with. But I do believe there are at
least two core concepts that should be re-
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A division of
♠♥qr♥s✉ ①③④④⑤✉⑥⑦⑧r⑥③✉q ⑨✉⑦⑩
in America are cookie cutter and arbitrari-
ly funded mostly by local property owners
through property taxes, meaning children
have one or two schooling options based
on the zip code they reside in, and fund-
ing for said schools is not tied directly to
meaningful, custom performance mea-
sures or other desired outcomes. Should
parents be able to decide what schools
their kids go to? Can local people vs. a
department in Washington D.C. or the
United Nations make better decisions for
their kids on curriculum and skills being
taught? Can teaching quality and results
for all students be improved and be more
✞✟✞✒✍✑✕✞ ✑✘ ✍✞☎✒✁✞✠ ☎✡✌ ☎✌✄✑✡✑✆✍✠☎✍✂✠
compensation includes an incentive com-
ponent based on results achieved?
Curriculum: Many Americans, at
least in the last two or three generations,
would agree the curriculums they learned
✑✡ ✆✒✁✂✂✎ ✶☎✎✎ ✎✞✕✞✎✆✛ ✜✠✞✪✙ ✍✁✠✂☞☛✁ ✒✂✎ -
✎✞☛✞✷ ✌✑✌ ✡✂✍ ✡✞✒✞✆✆☎✠✑✎✏ ✌✂ ☎ ☛✠✞☎✍ ✵✂✔ ✂✘
✞✸☞✑✜✜✑✡☛ ✍✁✞✄ ✍✂ ✶☎✷ ☛✞✍ ☎ ✎✑✕✑✡☛ ✚☎☛✞
✵✂✔✛ ✶✔✷ ✞✡✍✞✠ ☎ ✎✂✡☛✪✍✞✠✄ ✒☎✠✞✞✠ ✰✞✎✌✛
✶✒✷ ✑✌✞✡✍✑✘✏ ✚✂✠✢ ☎✡✌ ☎✒✍✑✕✑✍✏ ✍✁☎✍ ☎✎✑☛✡✆
✚✑✍✁ ✍✁✞✑✠ ✑✡✌✑✕✑✌☞☎✎ ✜✠✞✌✑✆✜✂✆✑✍✑✂✡✆✛ ✶✌✷
think about how to balance work and
✎✑✘✞✛ ✂✠ ✶✞✷ ✍✂ ✍✁✑✡✢ ✒✠✑✍✑✒☎✎✎✏ ☎✡✌ ✒✂✡✡✞✒✍
decisions to consequences. Can we come
up with better curriculums that are also
more customized to our community or
state? Can we better align curriculum and
skill building with industry for immediate
employability? To augment parenting re-
sponsibility, is it possible to incorporate a
better balance of life and social skill devel-
opment into our curriculums?
In short, we owe it to every citizen to
begin hammering away at revitalizing
and retooling our current educational
systems that for far too long and for too
many people have been producing sub-
optimal results. Coinciding with engaged
parenting, our educational systems have
the potential to be doing a much better job
at preparing our children with life, social,
professional and trade skills, which will
allow them to be much happier, healthier
and productive people and citizens.
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THE OBSERVER
❥❃❡ ❦t✽❡♣✈❡♣ ♣❡✿✻❄✼✽ ♦❈✼❡♣✽❃❄✾ ✻✼❊ ✺♦✾②♣❄❅❃✿
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✺♦✾②❱ ✾❃♦✿♦✽ ✻✼❊ ✼❡❈✽ ♦♣ ✻❊ ❄❆❆✹✽✿♣✻✿❄♦✼✽❋❥❃❡② ❉✻②
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Street address:
Send address changes to:
❥❃❡ ❦t✽❡♣✈❡♣❱ ❘❁❯❝ ❣❄❢✿❃ ❙✿❋❱
❤✻ ✐♣✻✼❊❡❱ ❦❧ ❛❞❚P❯
Periodicals postage paid at:
❤✻ ✐♣✻✼❊❡❱ ❦♣❡❅♦✼ ❛❞❚P❯
Classifieds ........................................ Devi Mathson