What Mitt Should Do about Education

By Robert Weissberg

You may recall that I awarded an "F" to Mitt Romney's proposals to fix America's schools. But better to light a candle than curse the darkness, so let me propose an "A" alternative. I'll begin with what I call "The Four Don'ts." First, don't promise the impossible. Recall George Bush's ill-fated No Child Left Behind (NCLB)'s plan to make every American child proficient in math and reading. Education reform already suffers from a deserved terrible reputation from overreach; no need to pile it on. Keep it modest. Second, don't excite powerful enemies in order to pursue inside straights. Conserve political capital. America has more pressing problems than Washington fixing K-12 education. Rather than abolish the Department of Education (hopeless), just ship top bureaucrats on an all-expenses-paid Las Vegas junket for the duration. Far cheaper, too. Nor should Mr. Romney cut the fat from ineffective programs like Head Start. Doomed battles -- so just accept the waste as business as usual. Third, don't venture into identity politics. The track record here.... (Read Full Article)