In the 1980's, I visited with Ross Perot's staff & took Mr. Perot a huge stack of documents proving how dire the circumstances were in the public schools, colleges, & universities. Since education is again an issue before the American people, I thought you would be interested in what Ross Perot said about education. I believe I did have an impact on his comments below.
Ross Perot on Education
Ross Perot on Education
https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Ross_Perot_Education.htm
"Expand school year from 180 days to at least 210.
Our children attend elementary and high school for 180 days a year, while their counterparts in Japan and Germany attend school for 243 days and 240 days, respectively. Can our children learn as much in 180 days as their children learn in 240 days? To ask the question is to answer it. If we were to increase our school year from 180 days to 210 days-still ...
behind many nations-that would be the equivalent of two more years of school by the time a student finishes the 12th grade.
Literacy & competency testing for teachers
Perot went after teachers, saying the only people who get "paid extra for staying alive" are seniority-based teachers. "The dumbest folks in college are studying to be teachers." As far as he was concerned, 4 out of 5 newly graduated teachers were "incompetent," and he proposed literacy and competency tests. That prompted the
largest teachers' union to walk out of talks with him.
More money into same system produces more of same failures
I’ve been personally involved in education for years. I know the territory. In 1983, I headed a committee to overhaul the Texas public school system to improve results. Against fierce opposition from entrenched interests, we were able to make considerable headway. I know it can be done. From the perspective of those years spent on ...
the front lines, I see the major causes of our educational failure to be these:
We don’t have good preschool training.
Parents aren’t thought of as consumers.
Schools are bogged down in bureaucracy.
Create world’s finest public schools
The goals of United We Stand America include:
To get our economy moving & put our people back to work.
To balance the budget.
To pay off our nation’s debts.
To build an efficient & cost-effective health care system.
To make our neighborhoods & streets safe from crime & violence.
To create the finest public schools in the world for our children.
To pass on the American Dream to our children, making whatever fair shared sacrifices are necessary.