International Cinema Festival of India

American civilization is currently under threat. Unfortunately, the danger is not as obvious as one would think, as in the case of terrorism. The greater menace is really the lowering standards provided by the public school education, which can be attributed to the education cartel. The effects have far-reaching consequences and in fact cannot be easily quantified.

Almost everybody recognizes the present problem. Students of public schools are consistently performing way below the desired objective. This is evidenced by test results in math and reading that leaves a lot to be desired, corruption that is rampant and a very long and arduous process of dismissing teachers and staff, to the effect that it is virtually impossible to do so. The stark reality is that US will face a future filled with ill-prepared workforce.

One of the more notable problems with regard to the education in cartel is the tenure that most public school teachers enjoy, irrespective of whether or not they are doing well in school. This is a classic case becoming a breeding ground for mediocre academic personnel.

Moreover, the education cartel is continuing efforts to gain more power fuels more strife rather than promote student welfare. This is very evident when, at the urging of the schoolteachers, Charlie Crist, Florida Governor and a senatorial candidate, vetoed a proposed law that would make compensation be directly proportional with the performance of the schoolteachers and staff.

This highlights the fact that the cartel in education is a major player in preventing dismissals, even when there is cause to do so. It naturally follows that the dismissal of the staff and teachers, where there is poor performance of students, created major waves in the field of education. Such action simply highlights the need for change.

It is quite disheartening, however, when criticism of the current state of the public school system is construed as hatred in the system itself. This is not so. The truth is teachers and staffs that perform well are still being accorded recognition. One such teacher is Beverly Jones. She exposed the dishonesty that was rampant in Trenton, involving payment of salaries to ghost employees as well as promotion of the repeaters’ program, at the cost of holding back students. This is just one of the facets of the fraud present in the system.

The truth is that there is a need to address the problem. There are alternatives provided – such as voucher schools and charter schools. While the advantages of adopting them are not yet clear, it is essential to come up with many alternatives as possible to prevent the education cartel from continuously wielding its power to the detriment of the students.

It is believed that by providing competition for the current public school system, the cartel in education would be forced to level up in terms of performance, which in the end would benefit the students.

American Spectator: The Cartel, The movie that exposes teacher’s unions. A film by Bob Bowdon.