Dear Editor,
If you have followed the news lately, you are aware of
Proposition 82 which offers pre-school to 4-year-olds on a
voluntary basis. The 4-year-old child will start school one year
before kindergarten.
Dear Editor,
If you have followed the news lately, you are aware of Proposition 82 which offers pre-school to 4-year-olds on a voluntary basis. The 4-year-old child will start school one year before kindergarten.
Another news item is the issue of a court injunction to block the installation of the state exit examination for high school students prior to graduation. The test is to determine if they have acquired the skills and learning of a 10th-grade student; if the senior fails the test, he cannot graduate.
These two news items, though they appear as different subjects, are closely related. Historically, the family has been responsible for the children’s education, along with compliance to the law of compulsory education in public schooling.
Up to the time of World War I, an 8th-grade education prepared one for a productive life as an American citizen. Few but the wealthy, or a determined intelligent young person went to college. A college professor was a learned man; respected and admired. A college degree implied an educated individual.
Since then, our educational system has undergone great changes. Graduation from the 8th grade today in no way prepares one to face the rigors of a competitive world. Graduation from the 12th grade was, at one time, satisfactory for a productive career in society. Today, in a sophisticated, competitive world of electronics, communication systems and advanced technology, even a high-school diploma barely prepares one for this world of commerce, industry and political savvy.
Adding pre-school before kindergarten offers questionable benefits. The family’s educational responsibility starts with the child, even before ages 3 and 4. I suspect the child would be better served, both emotionally and intellectually, at home, with his mother and siblings rather than being subjected to the indoctrination of our current educational system.
The circuit judge in Alameda that blocked the application of the exit examination as a requirement of graduation exceeded his authority. The exit examination served a much-needed function in establishing standards for the issue of a diploma. The high school diploma implied the graduate was educated and skilled in matters necessary to be a good, productive citizen or employee. That diploma gave an employer an indication of the applicant’s ability. To issue a diploma to one who has no skill nor the ability to persevere in learning degrades the diploma.
Forget that pre-school. Enforce the exit examination, and we will have a high-school graduate fully capable of meeting challenges in this real and competitive world.
J. G. McCormack, Gilroy
