A Liberal Education or Common Core?

Ethan Young is a high school senior from Tennessee. In response to the looming implementation of “Common Core” educational standards in the public schools, Ethan gave a rousing defense of an older view of education. Firstly, it is imperative to note that Congress did not really debate the merits of this proposal in the open. It has come about through large financial lobbying by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As has happened with many federal programs, the states are being enticed by the lure of money in exchange for acceptance of federal mandates. This strategy has done a great deal of harm to the subsidiarity approach to governing envisioned by our Founders. How are states supposed to govern themselves in line with their constituent values and ideals if they are continually besieged by punitive regulations or extremely tempting financial incentives? It takes great virtue to hold onto your principles; virtues that most state legislators seem to lack.

At any rate, the inspiring speech of Mr. Young communicates the ideals of a liberal education that does not have in view some attainable checklist.  “If everything I have learned in high school is an objective, then I have not learned anything”. This statement could be dangerous if taken out of context, but the intent that Young communicates throughout the speech nullifies these concerns. Clearly, basic skills like arithmetic and verbal ability must be reached. He does not seem to be against the idea of standards, rather the top-down one size-fits-all style of No Child Left Behind and Common Core. The purpose of education according to Mr. Young is the state of the mind and the state of the man at the end. Even if all the boxes are checked, you do not necessarily have an educated individual. The ethos that infuses a liberally educated individual is not easily communicable. In our present school system, the mind of a liberally educated man is almost impossible to be reached without extracurricular intervention. Mr. Young’s analysis strikes a chord with which many of us resonate.