Public Education

I want to thank Scott Carroll for his commentary and service to the education of children in Baltimore City ("What kids need most," Sept. 1). His conclusion is that money is not the problem but that a lack of a cultural support of education is. I could not agree more with him. No child has the slightest chance of being educated or successful in life without at least one adult being a parent to him or her. Parenting is key, and it's priceless....

YOUR DEC. 1 editorial "Keep schools out of election campaigns" states that education has replaced taxes as the ''political issue uppermost on voters minds" and that ''there is a huge risk in politicizing education."Apart from the fact that these statements seem contradictory, I find it hard to believe that you really don't think education is already highly politicized.Absorbing half or more of most local subdivision budgets, it seems to me that education has always been a highly political subject precisely because it is run by government and affects so many people -- all of whom have an opinion about it.How would such a statewide standard be any less intrusive in local matters than the Maryland State Performance Assessment Program, which has affected every school, teacher, student and curriculum in the state's public schools?

Victory for Kids: The Cleveland School Voucher Case, by David L. Brennan. New Millennium Press. 176 pages. $21.95. This brief, simply-stated book traces the 10-year battle that led up to the U.S. Supreme Court's Zelman v. Simmons-Harris decision, a 5-4 conclusion that ultimately may have more impact on public education policy in the United States than any other occurrence since Brown v. Board of Education ordered desegregation of U.S. schools in 1954....

Harvard University and Anne Arundel County public schools are embarking on a three-year partnership to examine how a mixture of business and education practices can be used to improve urban schools, university officials planned to announce today. The Public Education Leadership Project, a joint venture by Harvard's graduate schools of education and business, will offer one-week summer seminars to teams of administrators from nine school districts across the country. University faculty also periodically visit each school system.

Too much of the public is missing from public education. As a people, we recognize the economic value of education, but we under-invest in our schools, both financially and in terms of civic capital. With America's students and schools facing unprecedented needs, and education budgets under enormous pressure, it is time to drastically ramp up civic investment in public education. Our public school system - one of the great achievements of American democracy - is not just a service for the public to consume.

Glenelg High School teacher James P. Mundy would rather not spend class time coordinating fund-raising efforts, but he says it's necessary if his school is to have enough computers to teach students technological skills for the future.That's just one reason the Democratic state Senate candidate says funneling taxpayers' money to private schools through tax credits or other schemes is "irresponsible" and a "knee-jerk reaction" to the public schools' problems."To take away money from public schools to subsidize private schools -- to teach the best and forget the rest -- is not only ethically, but fiscally, irresponsible," said Mr. Mundy, a former Howard teachers union president.

It was refreshing last week to hear Anne Arundel school Superintendent Carol Parham abandon the usual pre-school opening pep talk to principals for an honest, jolting and not altogether flattering assessment of public education in the county. "All is not right with the world" of schools and children, she said. "We are in a fight for our very survival." School leaders in Anne Arundel historically have responded to problems by pretending they do not exist; i.e., the teacher sex scandals. Here, for a change, is a superintendent admitting to a crisis and demanding that front-line educators start coping with it.The problem with Dr. Parham's speech, however, was that it never specified the nature of that crisis.

The County Commissioners should be friendly to commerce, and the business community should become more involved in government and public education.That was the message from James T. Brady, Maryland's secretary of business and economic development, speaking to the Economic Development Commission and county officials yesterday.Much of Brady's off-the cuff, 49-minute speech was aimed at the County Commissioners and their chief aides in the departments of planning and public works.The county has made "tremendous strides in economic development in recent times," but Carroll and the state need to do more to ensure a business-friendly presence, Brady said.

Don't use public moneyFrom: Ivan S. ShermanWestminsterThis letter is in response to Sharon Hornberger's column in the June 7 edition.The bottom line of Ms. Hornberger's comments was that driver's education in our high schools should continue to be financed by public funds.In defending this conclusion, she said . . . "the main thrust of our education was to prepare us for the 'real world'."I strongly disagree, philosophically, with that statement.The concept that public education is to assure our graduates that they can get along in the real world has come into the foreground of policy-makers in the past 25 years.

THE RESIGNATION of Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos comes as no great surprise. Virtually invisible during his two-year tenure, he has offered few initiatives and showed little flair for the arena. But his ineffectiveness says less about him than about his boss. How serious has President Bush really been about education?Public education is in deep trouble. American students are leaving schools without adequate skills, threatening economic security and the social fabric.Bush pledged to be the "education president."