Editorial: Bush education plan could harm schools

Sunday, Sept. 5, 1999 | 10:22 a.m.

Texas Gov. George Bush, the front-runner for the GOP's presidential nomination, outlined Thursday some of his views on education. Unlike many other Republicans who want to abolish the U.S. Department of Education, Bush actually wants to increase the agency's responsibility, wisely adding to its role the Head Start program for preschoolers. But at the same time, Bush wants to withhold federal funds for schools if they don't show improvement on achievement tests after three years.

Those students at greatest risk from this proposal are in schools -- many in decaying inner cities -- that are doing poorly in part because they have inadequate funding. Refusing to give these schools more money to improve could foster a dangerous cycle, dooming these schools to failure.

A better approach can be found in Nevada. While the performance of students is measured through standardized tests, the state actually allocates more money to those schools that fare poorly. The reason for this is simple: If the government fails to make an investment in these schools, then it's unrealistic to expect them to meet the tougher standards. Bush would do well to incorporate more compassion into this policy.