With all the angst abroad in the world, one wonders if there is any unifying factor that might bring about change. Everything that has been tried seems to have unintended consequences and accomplishes little despite good intentions.
Education may be a solution and there are some encouraging signs on the horizon. This week, Dr. Greg Killough was appointed superintendent of Roanoke County Public Schools. He comes with an impressive set of credentials and is the fortunate heir to a school system that is healthy if the 95+% graduation rate and 100% accreditation (one of only 22 systems in the state that can make that claim) are valid markers. Salem, always excellent in education, can be equally proud. Roanoke City schools have made great strides under the remarkable leadership of Dr. Rita Bishop and a competent school board.
Gone are the days when a high school diploma opened the door to meaningful employment. The typical high school graduate has little or no marketable skills. All that is available are entry-level service jobs, few of which pay more than minimum wage or supply much needed benefits. That problem has been addressed by Virginia Western Community College under the guidance of Dr. Robert Sandel. If local high school graduates meet certain requirements, they can attend VWCC tuition free and if they maintain a good GPA leading to an associate degree they will be accepted a state university for the final years toward a bachelor’s degree.
Just this past week President Obama endorsed such a program for the entire country that would allow tuition-free education after high school for two years. How such a program could be financed on a federal basis is far from clear, but few would deny the generational benefit that would accrue to the future of the nation.
Not every student feels the need to attend college, even at the community level. Many who could make a worthwhile contribution are ill-equipped to join the work force in a position that offers the possibility for advancement. In previous decades high school curricula offered courses that could lead to licensure in a trade such as plumbing and electricians or qualification as auto mechanics or skilled construction workers. Such programs are still be in place, but their role in secondary education needs to be strengthened for those who, for whatever reason, do not plan for further training beyond high school.
By endorsing education we make an investment in the future that cannot be matched by any other system. How to make these things possible is a daunting proposition. A fundamental requirement is a cadre of well-qualified teachers who can count on promotion for a job well done and accountability for failure to meet required standards. Salaries paid should be commensurate with their training and benefits comparable to those with similar education receive in the private sector.
All well and good, we might say, but the question to be answered is still hardly ever asked: How will we pay for it? The ranting of super-conservation politicians over the intrusiveness of government has, one could hope, begun to lessen. Unfortunately the death knell for many a worthwhile program has been sounded by the dreaded “T” word. We want it all, but we don’t want to pay for it; certainly not by increased taxation. That is true for education just as it is for any other program in which the government plays a role.
Education, as much as the student wants and is capable of utilizing, will be worth whatever it costs. That’s true for the national well-being, not just the individual.
This bumper sticker is true: If You Think Education Is Expensive, Try Ignorance.
– Hayden Hollingsworth
