Powell on Education

I've been intrigued by the idea of Colin Powell as Secretary of Education. I like the idea that he isn't cut from the education establishment cloth and has no allegiances to the Teacher's Unions or Schools of Education. I like the idea of discipline and hard work that he represents.

Mostly, I was encouraged when I turned up this quote today:

"If we truly believe they are all our children, then all of us must be willing to spend more to repair our schools and spend more to pay our teachers better. But we must also be open to new ideas.

Let’s not be afraid of standardized testing for students. Let’s not be afraid of testing teachers’ qualifications. Let’s not be afraid of charter schools. Let’s not be afraid of using private scholarship money to give poor parents a choice that wealthy parents have. Let’s not be afraid of home schooling. Let’s experiment prudently with school voucher programs to see if they help. What are we afraid of? Let’s use innovation and competition, good old American innovation, good old American competition to help give our children the best education possible."

Colin Powell, Speech at the GOP Convention, 7-30-2000

Colin Powell on Education