The public and private response to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the failure of public education into sharp relief. But let me be clear, this failure is not the product of “bad schools”, teachers, or uninspired learners. It has roots in many sources including poverty, poor nutrition, underfunding, electronic distractions and, maybe most significantly, the combination of pinch-penny funding and legislative meddling in the professional business of educators.
And what does this have to do with the COVID-19 pandemic? Don’t strain your eyes looking for science illiteracy, weak critical thinking skills, lack of knowledge of government, history, health care policy, international politics and the basics of public communication.
Popular notions of American exceptionalism have led us to think that the USA would be the world’s leader in addressing any crisis of this nature. We have the science, the technology, health care infrastructure, manufacturing and distribution capacity. So why are we struggling to explain to the public that injecting Clorox into the veins is not such a good idea? Or that injecting UV rays into the veins – even if it were a good idea –presents unique challenges? Maybe the physics department at Trump University can work on that one.
South of Town: Notes and Scenes from Texas' Upper Gulf Coast 