Education in America

     With the slogan "No Child Left Behind" coined by former President George W. Bush, one would think that the U.S. Government invested and exhausted every available penny into the education of the youth throughout the United States of America, but, as many will tell you, such is not the case.
     The statistics web site http://broadeducation.org state that, currently, the "US ranks 27th in Math and 21st in Science compared to students in 30 industrialized countries" and that "by the end of the 8th grade, U.S. students are two years behind in the math being studies by peers in other countries." To make this scarier, the statistic's go on to tell us that "70 percent of 8th graders can not read at their grade level and most will never catch up."
     This startling information has many concerned for, not just the children "being left behind' but also, our country as a whole. With the production of advanced students in foreign countries, we leave ourselves vulnerable to a wide variety of hostel situations that could result in disastrous outcomes for our independent nation. For example, with the defiant North Korean government tirelessly working on nuclear weapons of mass destruction, it is necessary that our current and future generations work on both the counter attack proposal as well as the 'clean-up' care package should such an attack on the United States com einto fruition. Such efforts will require people who are skilled in engineering, physics, medicine as well as those who are trained in dealing with the effects of a post apocalyptic event that could have the potential to devastate our known world.With statistics showing that we are hovering just above the bottom of the 30 countries reviewed, it is safe to assume that we are not only failing in the preparation of the future, but we are failing in our countries ability to 'bounce back' from a devastating and brutish attack should one occur.
     This, then, has me pondering the ever so elusive question as to 'WHY." Why are we so far behind in the advancement of education? Why are we 'passing the buck' to another generation in hopes that they 'fix' the problems of our students 'not getting it" and lastly, why are we oblivious to the fact that, statistically, we are a nation of independence, yet we don't exercise our independent right to ensure the future of this country is cemented in the fundamental workings of our nation?
     The logical and safe assumption in an attempt to answer the imposing question is simply put: MONEY. With the post 9/11 economic downturn, state revenues fell dramatically and many states contributed the bare minimum legally required by Amendment 23. The money that should / could be used in academia is now mandated in its division among such necessities as power for buildings, gas for transportation and benefits for educators and support staff. Gone are the extracurricular classes, extra materials or supplies needed for a 'well rounded' education and in its place are the over-stressed teachers who must teach to state mandated tests and not to the 'well being' of the student.
     That said, the money not being readily or prospectively available aside, where do we find adequate funding for a countrywide solution to an under-educated epidemic our nation is facing? The oxy-moron solution is to pay a panel of experts an exuberant amount of money to state the obvious: We are "Leaving the behind." Whereas, the logical solution is as simple as the problem itself, funnel said moneys into an account that actually applies to the child in the classroom, the education in America and "Leaving no Child Behind."