Education Revisited

A few points to consider:

1. Education is extremely important. America spends more than any other country per capita on spending, except for Switzerland. However, education resources are not equitably distributed, and this is not always the fault of government. Many young teachers find themselves discouraged with inner-city conditions, leaving those with fewer choices (and perhaps those with fewer qualifications) to remain. It's meritocracy at work.

2. The above failure to provide education at a reasonable level of competence is not acceptable in a society that values all of its citizens. Hence, some form of equalization of resources may be defensible here, but only if considered as an overall plan to impose order in impoverished areas. It may not be ideal to put armed guards and "get tough" policies in schools in such neighborhoods, but one must start somewhere.

3. No. 2, above, is nevertheless not enough. There must be the imposition of a strict sense of morality and a discouragement of juvenile delinquency and disorder in stricken areas. This problem cannot be addressed unless the community outside the school is made safe. And this demands that the entire neighborhood cooperate, that criminal activity be swiftly addressed, and that parents and teachers collaborate in the entire education process, considered as an environmental phenomenon. Only when such things are adequately implemented may it be said that sufficient resources, in general, are not allocated to education.