Business people understand that simple management principle. That s where education changes usually hit a wall of resistance. Because education is not just about competitive economic skills it s also about values. Progressive reformers such as Horace Mann and John Dewey wanted the schools to promote a common civic culture democratic values, which were presumably beyond controversy. In the 1920s, the issue was the teaching of evolution, a controversy that continues to flare up even today.
Competitiveness requires more-aggressive federal standards.
Thus, President Bush promotes a voucher program as a way to make sure that students whose public schools have failed can remain competitive. Bush appears willing to consider alternative approaches as long as competitive standards are maintained. Others suggest different approaches, and I am willing to listen. Under the president s plan, the federal government will set standards and leave it to the states to implement them. Interestingly, when former president Clinton talked about national standards, conservatives sounded the alarm.