Hiding behind the laudable push to improve education, two scions of the Bush dynasty never found a public school they or their children would attend – probably because they would have to mix with “them”.  They did, however, espouse plans to improve the schooling for “others” because something had to be done to the national disgrace of schools without money and children without nourishment attending them. The traditional argument was that schools were cheaper than Jail.

Their schemes sounded great.  “No Child Left Behind” and “A+”, both of which tested the children, tested the schools and rewarded those schools which turned out the best schools and children according to the tests.  In other words, those schools that taught to the test best would be rewarded while nothing but bad looks were turned on the schools with bad marks.

As a teacher and professor trying to understand the history of education in relation to the needs of children I never could understand how these two college educated lords of the elite could have become in charge of the educational system in the U.S.  I know of many former teachers who were highly motivated and wanted to help America by working with children in schools imparting information they absorbed in their classrooms many years before.  I saw many of them leave the classroom for more remunerative work and because they were frustrated in not being immediately able to translate their love and need to do good works into visible improvement.  They taught children who did not come to school prepared to deal with college educated do-gooders.  They tried to teach children who spoke a patois of the lowest level in tones of Harvard and Yale or Stanford and FIU.  In other words there was no real connection in language and or understanding of the intent of what was expected of the children by teachers who barely understood what processes they went through to get to the front of the classroom where they – taught.

“Connection” might be the term that should be used.  The parent connects with his or her children in the most elementary way – usually with “NO" and or a slap on the behind to direct attention to where the parent knows will be the path ending in success and goodness.  Teachers used to brutalize students, if not with physical punishment but with their tongues.  Somewhere along the line not hitting children became the rule and a great many children enjoyed testing the teacher’s patience by breaking rules and being unruly.  Principals were of no use and when police came into schools in uniform it was apparent that the schools had failed.  Somewhere in there is a grain of truth.  The Bush’s applied testing in different styles and neither has worked to educate ALL our children.  It is beyond them and might be beyond us. Schools without money or trained teachers cannot work with unprepared children.  The tests have failed and “F” schools have failed children.