By Grover J. “Russ” Whitehurst – The American dream of opportunity and advancement and the educational system of the United State are inextricably connected. This has been true throughout our history. Indeed, well before the country was founded it was typical for colonial villages that had grown to more than a few hundred people to establish and fund a public school, with the first dating to 1639. Since that time, we have continued to value education and invest in it.
But in an age of globalization and the advent of a knowledge based economy, the imperative to educate and educate well is stronger than it has ever been. The evidence that nations with a better educated populace experience higher growth rates is compelling.
The Education Sciences Reform Act is overdue for re-authorization. Let me simply suggest four principles that should underlie the re-authorization:
- If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It
- Independence Is Fundamental
- The Regional Educational Lab Program (the RELs) Is Broken and Should be Fixed
- You Get What You Pay For
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