Submitted by fred stopsky, Apr 10, 2007 19:00

It is ironic that the Sun, on one hand argues for Charter Schools, and, on the other hand, supports the Bush Centralization of education program known as NCLB. Those of us who seek Charter Schools also want each Charter school to have the power to develop its own curriculum and teaching methodology. Bush is the worse disaster for education in modern history. He has transformed education into a giant enterprise in which young people focus on passing tests rather than on gaining knowledge. Believe it or not, many liberals such as myself support the concept of decentralization of education, but that will only occur if teachers are given freedom to foster critical and creative thinking. It is about time true Conservatives backed the essential concept of Charter Schools -- a decentralization of education in which teachers have freedom to teach, and students(with consent of parents) have freedom to select which school they wish to attend. A marketplace of education, in which individuals make decisions concerning education, will not happen until teachers function akin to a group of doctors by obtaining freedom to offer parents alternatives models of education. Liberals such as myself believe in the marketplace of education, but why do many so-called "Conservatives' seek to impose upon education a top down model in which those far removed from teachers and students decide what is best for those individuals? My new book, "Towards the 4th Revolution in Education" which spells out a completely decentralized vision of education argues the 21st century needs a new approach to education based on: (a) teachers empowered to offer a model of education; (b) students offered a curriculum attuned to 21st century needs; (c) competition in the marketplace that allows teachers freedom to teach and parents and students freedom to select their teachers. Isn't it about time The Sun denounced George Bush's NCLB which is the antithesis of those freedoms real conservatives cherish.

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