Hillary Clinton announced she has found the solution to America’s struggling education system.
U.S. students rank No. 26 in math test scores, No. 14 in cognitive skills, No. 17 in reading, and No. 20 in science, despite being among the highest spenders on education. Clearly, the government is not investing the $115,000 spent on each student wisely, so this is an important issue for Clinton to take on.
In a Dover, New Hampshire town hall meeting on Thursday, the Democratic candidate for president received a standing ovation for her answer to how she would improve schools across the country.
But what was the answer that merited the approval of so many? The Washington Free Beacon analyzed her masterful response.
"I am really concerned about what we’re doing to our teachers, and our students, and our education system because I don’t believe we are recognizing the challenges that kids are bringing to school these days that have to be addressed by the teacher in the classroom or the teacher in the specialty program like special ed."
So Clinton is concerned about something we are doing to teachers and students. What is happening to the folks at school? Who are the "we" that are doing something terrible to the education system? What are the challenges kids bring to school? Clinton did not say. No answers to our problems here.
"I believe strongly we’ve got to support what works in school."
Clinton is unlikely to separate herself with any other candidate with that statement. No solution here.
"What works is recognizing what a hard job this is for so many teachers, for so many kids."
There it is. The way forward for America’s schools: recognition. If the federal government simply recognized how tough teachers have it, the nation will see an education revolution.
Clinton’s circular reasoning, filled with buzzwords and delivered with an inspiring tone, may have been a convenient way not to offer a real plan to a real problem, but at least she is an expert into duping a group into believing she really has the answers.