Ironically, some of the ballyhoo surrounding the travel
restrictions serves to highlight the failure permeating our system of public
education. One report describes how “tech giants” joined in an amicus curiae brief against the executive
order. The report states, “The
ban prevents tech companies from attracting talent,” indicating they can not
source enough “talent” from within the United States.
Public education is in shambles. There is no other way to put it. Story after story, report after report
describe the problem from a variety of perspectives. Attempting to counter these reports and
stories, some elected officials employ a form of progressive sleight of hand to
try to convince us the problem is not real.
One such ploy is reporting graduation rates are rising, thereby arguing
education is improving. In perhaps one of the most egregious stories,
in New York, “Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña cite the
city wide 72 percent graduation rate as evidence that schools are improving.
Rarely noted — only an average 37 percent of students graduate ready for
college.”
Only “37 percent of students graduate
ready for college.” Really? And the same New York Post article reports, “But the stats are even worse at
other schools such as Urban Assembly HS of Music and Art in Brooklyn, which
boasted a 82.5 percent graduation rate but only 3.8 percent of the senior class
was college ready.” A measly 3.8 percent
of a senior class was evaluated as college ready. Almost concurrently the Mayor of New York touts “a record high graduation rate of 72.6 percent in
2016 after five straight years of improvement.”
Of course, teacher unions clap loudly at the otherwise abysmal results, with the Post reporting, “The teachers union also
hailed the results.” Even if accepting
the claim of a 72.6 percent graduation rate, the level of college preparedness
is highly questionable based on other reports.
The preceding examples come from one
public school system in New York City, that bastion of liberal policies and
approaches. It can be argued that if New
York City cannot provide quality public education, then it likely cannot be provided
elsewhere. And the tech sector relies on a highly educated workforce, though sadly the nation is meeting its public education responsibilities, with the former CEO of Sun
Microsystems declaring public education is failing. And this circles back to the views of “tech
giants.”
The tech giants complain about an
inability to attract talent from overseas, implying if not outright stating they cannot find
the talent they require within our country: a country with more than 50 million
students in elementary and secondary education, according to The National
Center for Education Statistics estimates.
Certainly the raw talent needed by the tech giants should be found in
such a large student population.
Apparently not, if we are to believe the tech giants.
If nothing else decries the state of
public education, certainly the complaints of leading tech companies that hire
enormous number of employees must stand out.
Regardless of what the elected officials and school unions would have us
believe, the public school system is failing too many of our citizens. When major employers cannot find adequately numbers of prepared individuals for the
workforce they need from local resources, and so complain about travel
restrictions closing off some sources of potential employees, it rings as an
indictment against public education.
Ironic, isn’t it, that an unintended
consequence of the ballyhoo surrounding travel restrictions is the stark and
unambiguous condemnation of public education.
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