Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.issues,americast.usa-today.issues From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: issues Wed, Oct 21 1992 Date: Wed, 21 Oct 92 04:30:09 EDT Message-ID: Lines: 122 10-21 0000 DECISIONLINE: Issues & Debate USA TODAY Update Oct. 21, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network Here are some of the issues and topics being debated across the nation Wednesday morning in USA TODAY: Education, Vietnam. TODAY'S DEBATE - EDUCATION PROPOSALS: USA TODAY'S OPINION: Twice in this century, presidents have made big impacts on U.S. schools. It's time for that to happen again. In the '60s, Lyndon Johnson's Great Society brought us Head Start, a long-proven success for poverty-level preschoolers, and aid programs that opened colleges to the poor. In 1983, Ronald Reagan issued "A Nation at Risk," a report from his Education secretary that awakened us to our schools' problems and spawned a decade of feverish state and local reforms. Now we need something more. U.S. students, in international tests, fare badly. Newspapers in Ireland cheer our illiteracy rate because it means U.S. companies will export more jobs for which they can't find competent people here. The national education goals set by George Bush, Bill Clinton and others in 1989 are nice ideas, but has anyone mentioned them during the campaign? Bush has an empty four-year slate. Clinton as governor and Ross Perot as chair of a mid-'80s Texas effort pushed through state school reforms. But they now emphasize other issues - aware that a president's role in school improvement is limited. Only $56 of every $1,000 spent on schools comes from Washington (down from $90 in the '70s). True reform won't occur until people in 16,000 school districts demand it. But a president can jump-start us and, this time, keep his foot on the pedal. He can identify standards students should meet in math, science and comprehension of English. And he can push for tests that tell us, school-by-school, how close we are to those goals. Local schools can decide for themselves how they'll get there. But we as a nation must decide where we want to go. Bush and Clinton call for standards and tests, but neither spells out how to do it or what priority the effort has. If our education gap is as wide as our space gap in the Sputnik era, we need a president to assume the JFK role and tell us where our education "moon" is, what it will take to get there and when we will set foot on it. OTHER VIEW: D.L. CUDDY, a former senior associate in the National Institute of Education: While there are rare functions the federal government can perform in education, even The Washington Post editorialized there needn't be a Department of Education. That federal involvement tends regrettably toward nationalization of education is evidenced by major legislation in Congress this year calling for a national curriculum, the effect of which would be that disastrous innovations like the "new math" would harm all instead of just some students. And, bills called for national tests, which in areas like literature could contain questions not ideologically acceptable in some regions. Bill Clinton says he'll be a "change agent," a favorite term of National Education Association presidents like Catherine Barrett, who wanted it applied to philosophy or values. About that same time, Training for Change Agents (a result of a federal contract) came out, promoting those who'd "disrupt educational systems," "escalate problems or protests" and "create crises." The Education Department itself issued a white paper supporting state takeover of schools "unwilling to meet their responsibilities ... replacing local school boards with state-appointed officials." If President Bush is re-elected, a federal official's claim to be prepared to deny aid and student loans to schools that fail to give students job skills could be carried out. Also, his "America 2000" plan urges that hiring and college-admission decisions consider national test results, and federal regulations would apply even to private or religious schools that participate. And his request for a New American Schools Development Corp. has just resulted in winning school proposals that include programs "from birth," teaching "world citizenship" and requiring 220 hours of "service." Keep control of education local. VOICES ACROSS THE NATION ON USA NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH VIETNAM: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Sylva Billue, 51, investor: I would think so. Until you start that procedure, you will never have any hope of having negotiations with them. Information about the MIAs often has been used as a negotiating tool between the two countries. It is still being used, which is unfortunate for the families. MILL CREEK, Wash., Bill Endicott, 65, newsletter editor: I was in the 33rd Infantry Division in World War II, and we've long since reconciled differences with Japan and Germany. The difference is that in World War II, the POW issue was resolved. So, before normalizing relations, we should resolve the POW:MIA issue totally. SAUK CITY, Wis., Kay Price, 49, detective, author: With the complexity of the problems we face in the world today, the more countries we are on a good basis with, the better. We've got a lot of heartbreak to get over, but we weren't blameless, either. Maybe with good relations, we can help to heal some of the wounds. CHICAGO, Ill., Darren Curry, 27, college counselor: Even with the photos that have emerged, you have others of distress signals pilots were taught to use if shot down. For so long, Vietnam has denied having POWs or evidence POWs were left behind. Such deception makes it hard to have relations. BEL AIR, Md., Charles A. Myers, 38, U.S. civil servant: I agree with normalizing relations as long as there's a chance of getting all accurate information on POWs and MIAs resolved once and for all. We should investigate all leads, including the photographs. Also, Vietnam has to change to a democracy. Issues & Debate Editor: Kate Coughlin. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM