September 2nd, 2012
10:09 PM ET
Can Mitt Romney fix our education system?
Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett tells Christine Romans why throwing more money at education won't fix our schools, but a little competition might.
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How about questioning the very assumption of failing schools. Almost all of the scientists working on the latest NASA Mars mission were public school graduates. The problem is with the culture of poverty which disadvantages kids to a huge degree. I am not saying poor kids can't learn, just that in general they have more barriers. I am saying that we need to address the real problem and not try solutions to a problem that does not exist. IN study after study, charter schools and private schools do not outperform public school when socioeconomic status is factored out. Same for our international standings. Spend more effort helping communities, not giving kids more tests.
Vouchers – as proposed by Romney – will never work, period, and anyone who has thought about this for a few consecutive minutes or done a little reading that presents a balance of perspectives on the issue understands why. This is why although the idea (of vouchers) is now over 50 years old, it has never been implemented. And yet this is the centerpiece of the Republican platform: a scheme that has never worked anywhere and will not work now. So, can Romney fix our education system? No. And Bill Bennet had his opportunity. He wasn't of any use, either. His tired, pandering, disproven ideas took us nowhere.