Public Education

The Historic Importance of Public Education

Public education represents one of the major achievements of the historic struggles of American workers and their allies. The courageous efforts of African Americans during and after Reconstruction and since then, and of organized labor throughout the period of the Industrial Revolution to secure quality education for the children of working Americans, resulted in the establishment of public schools throughout the country. Public schools have provided opportunities to the children of American workers to improve their life opportunities that would otherwise have been denied them. The fact that approximately 90 percent of school age children in our country attend public schools provides evidence of the significance of this achievement.

At this time, for too many of these children, however, especially in urban and rural areas, the promise of public education is being denied. An advanced state of crisis afflicts their schools, due primarily to lack of adequate funding, which in turn results from the failure of the state and federal governments to meet their obligations to the children of America's workers. A patchwork of inequitable local property tax schemes, which survive despite numerous court decisions calling for change, allows the "savage inequalities" now widely recognized across the country to continue--and worsen.

Public Education Under Attack

Public education, our nations proud achievement, is under attack. Chronic underfunding exists as governments at all levels boast of surpluses amassed by "prudent fiscal management" and sweeping cuts in social services. In order to avoid meeting their responsibilities to their people, these governments too often have capitulated to education proposals originating with ultra-right forces such as "school choice" vouchers, charters, contracting out, and other privatization schemes. In fact, the problems caused by lack of resources provide fertile ground for these forces to spread their dangerous proposals. Vouchers or charters appear to frustrated parents as an escape route for their children.

The attack presently is aimed primarily at the largest urban school systems where majority African American student populations struggle in racially isolated circumstances against the harshest conditions. The targeting of majority African American school districts exposes the racist nature of the attack on public education. It also points up the need to renew the struggle for school desegregation. Segregated education holds back the building of unity of the working class. Where integration has been tried, it has worked to the benefit of students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Proposals for Action

In these circumstances, we are encouraged by the developing broad support for public education across the nation led by organized labor and civil rights organizations. The Communist Party USA therefore resolves to support, actively participate in and offer leadership to the struggle to defend, expand and improve public schools nationwide through:

--a "New Deal" for public education, which would make available massive federal assistance to guarantee quality education for all from pre-school through higher education;

--drastically reduced class sizes and student to teacher/staff ratios at all levels, especially in early childhood programs and in the lower grades;

--removing barriers of geography, class and race, such as between city and suburbs which deny America's youth the opportunity to benefit from our nation's diversity;

--a multicultural curriculum which enables the youth of our country to become aware of the destructive influence of racism and bigotry and of the contributions made by the diverse peoples of our country and the world;

--teacher training programs that include building sensitivity to bigotry based on race, class, religion, or gender;

--a comprehensive curriculum, which includes more than simply "the basics" and gives attention and respect to the diverse areas of human knowledge;

--building unity and promoting organization among those who work in the schools, those who send their children to the schools, and those who attend the schools--that is, among school workers, parents and students.

With this program our Party will be able to make its unique and critical contribution to the struggle for public education at this crucial time.