Tim Davis asked, “So what is the answer to our problems?” Tough question.

I suspect that part of the answer waits in the wings of the hallowed halls of education. America needs strong public education. It is a long-standing view, reaching back to Thomas Jefferson at least, that government works best when its leaders are self-educated.

I’m not suggesting that we force all Cabinet members to join Mensa, but good government does require thoughtful, perceptive individuals.

Unless we’re content to build the next generation of leaders from the ranks of old-club private-school kids from the East Coast, we should take public education seriously.

To achieve effective education, this country should set basic standards.

Though there’s abundant disagreement on this subject, Ithink most people could agree on some bare minima.

A student who can’t find Russia on a map, factor a binomial equation, or read literature by Mark Twain doesn’t deserve a high school diploma. Coca-Cola is the same product in both Atlanta and Seattle. Ahigh school diploma should be at least as consistent as “the real thing.”

We must also re-evaluate whimsically adopted teaching methods. Systems like exclusive “whole language” don’t work; children need building blocks, like phonics, to develop mastery (put another way, Spanish 101 does not start with Don Quixote).

And there’s no excuse for “outcomes-based education” and relative grading. Grades should be based on mastery of subject matter, not how close Johnnie came to learning the ABC’s.

To do otherwise penalizes students who acquire the knowledge and falsely inflates the hopes of others.

Even if education were to be reformed tomorrow, I wouldn’t anticipate an American Renaissance.

But what we should expect of everyone right now is enthusiasm for individual thought.

People should be defined by their personal merits, not by membership in parties, unions or coalitions.

Whether you’re for individualism, communitarianism, majoritarianism, or another of the dozens of ideologies out there, you can probably agree: the smarter an individual is, the more money the individual can make.

The smarter a nation is, the more it can invest in the future.

Brian Gongol

Freshman

Journalism Mass

Communication