Education alternatives needed to serve all

from http://www.app.com/article/20120408/NJOPINION06/304080015/Education-alternatives-needed-to-serve-all

For the last few decades, it has become very clear that our country’s system of education is faltering. It is completely inappropriate, if not for all, for at least more than half of our nation’s students.

Efforts toward remediating this problem have led us to a variety of models of educational practices. Running schools like businesses is one. We also have tried state takeovers and, out of desperation, we are now closing poor-performing schools.

Throughout the last few decades we also have adopted innovative programs for teaching reading and mathematics. Many of these programs have guaranteed that they are the panacea for academic success. However, most of them have lasted fewer than five years and have gone the way of most innovations — into the large scrap pile of educational obscurity.