(Please read the following carefully. If you agree, please distribute as widely as you can.)
The Biblical saying, "Thou reap that which ye sow," is relevant. For decades the Democrats have been running the Nation's educational system. And running it into the ground. Instead of teaching in-depth topics, students receive superficial coverage. "Critical Thinking" is taught using Venn diagrams, for example. Instead of requiring 240 units to graduate, now only 220 are needed. School attendees are shoveled through the public education system with the sole goal of enabling school boards to brag about the "graduation rate." Some brag! Today, high school diplomas are issued to slackers with "D-" grade point averages. Even so, the high school dropout rate is huge -- at least 20% in Los Angeles County. And the school boards claim that is an IMPROVEMENT!
So these young people can get a diploma even if they are borderline illiterate. A diploma is all that is needed for a Civil Service job, like law enforcement. In fact, if someone fails to graduate from high school, but passes the GED test, they are still eligible for a Civil Service job. Derek Chauvin is a high school dropout who passed the GED, entered the military and served as a military policeman. This enabled him to qualify for the Minneapolis Police Academy. NOW people are claiming that placing a knee on suspect George Floyd's neck was not "authorized." Really? Two questions: Where was Chauvin taught the maneuver? And, why aren't the standards for becoming a police officer more stringent?
If it isn't obvious what needs to be done, I'll point it out. First, Law Enforcement Agencies around the country MUST raise their requirements for becoming a cop. Perhaps a minimum "C" GPA in CORE CLASSES should be mandated. And disqualify the GED as an eligibility criterion in most cases! This, at least, will eliminate individuals who are really deficient in thinking skills -- and understanding consequences of their actions. Second, existing officers with marginal education need to be reevaluated to see if they should be retained. Maybe retraining and an emphasis on morals, ethics, and civics is possible. Examine those with "questionable" records first.
Most importantly, RESTORE RIGOR to our education system. Make a high school diploma meaningful again. Do so and watch our society become more polite, more civil, more thoughtful and more prosperous. Teach subjects that will be of lasting importance to a student, enabling them to fully function in society, not merely exist at the margins. They need to understand personal finance, ethics, civics, basic math and science, English and history.
When I taught high school chemistry and biology, I was forced to follow "No Child Left Behind," and “Common Core” standards. Most of my students plainly did not “get it”. Why? Because my classes depended upon prior knowledge -- like how to multiply and divide, how to write a coherent sentence, and how to read more than one paragraph in a text book.
The educational establishment's claim that they turn out graduates who are "job, college or military ready," is a farce, a lie, and a failure. The result of decades of Leftist control of education is proof enough of that! Further, schools must return to providing vocational skills, like shop classes, for individuals who are not interested in a university education. There is no disgrace in learning to be a knowledgeable welder, plumber, home-maker, mechanic, electrician, beautician, construction specialist, etc.
Never forget that the people who are now foaming at the mouth, rabidly screaming to abolish the police, are the same Leftists who allowed inferior individuals into law enforcement in the first place!
Of some interest is the notation that former officer Thomas Lane, a university graduate, did question Chauvin's tactics during the encounter with George Floyd, but did not otherwise intercede since he was a rookie, and Chauvin his supervisor. That isn't much, but it does suggest that education plays a role in an officer's conduct and concern about consequences.
I'll sum this up with two statements: Law enforcement agencies need to comb their records for educationally marginal personnel and either teach them ethics or dismiss them. And, revamp public education by driving out the Leftists in control to allow good teachers to once again teach.
--Jay L. Stern