The program will of course be extended. Indeed, if 18 children per class is good, the next politician will claim that 16 must be better. The Clinton version is just a preview of coming attractions. What predictably accompanies such aid, of course, is more red tape. The era of big government turns out to be far from over when new federal programs are being gestated.
Mandatory certification is only the start.
And on and on. The last thing American education needs today is to grant Uncle Sam more leverage over state and local policies, a few of which are finally breaking free from thieir dysfunctional old habits. States may favor experiments with charter schools or intensified math instruction. Standardized second grade classes are no better a fit for our big, diverse land than identical social studies curricula. Take California, for example.