Recent economic and education events have reminded me that social responsibility(SR) begins at home. The adapted HGTV tag line may seem frivolous but it is sticky and rings true. Education is one of our country's socially responsible bedrocks and education starts at home: not just your residence but home as in the United States of America.
Education is an area of social responsibility that begs for national attention. This topic is urgent and must be a top priority. Some journalists have been taking note for years. John Young writing for Waco Tribune-Herald has been sounding the trumpet — frequently like a voice in the wilderness. His recent column Testing's Collateral Damage emphasized again the narrow focus of today's curriculum in the world of high-stakes testing. This narrow focus could well be one reason that the United States Army is launching a pilot program ( U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship) to recruit a limited number of immigrants. Two of the reasons cited for this program: better education and language skills. Army officials expect to find better educated, multi-lingual, multi-cultural recruits in this pool.
Finally, Nicholas Kristof has initiated his exploration into America's education system which he describes as Our Greatest National Shame rather than health care. It is a toss up. As an educator, I can attest that they go hand-in-hand. Education must receive at least equal billing with health care.
Each and every one of us is responsible for education. Whether through our taxes, professional roles, business activities, or, perhaps, most importantly as American citizens, we must move deliberately to create a national blueprint for 21st century education. It is our social responsibility to current and future generations. And we're running late — a decade is almost gone.
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