Rhee: Education is an Economic Issue, not a Social Issue

Michelle Rhee is worried we have lost our competitive spirit. In this commentary she makes an interesting point about how we view education.

From Marketplace:

There are many nations who have figured out what works in education. Look at Singapore. Last summer, I heard the prime minister gave a speech in which he outlined the plan for making Singapore number one in the world, financially. His economic plan was rooted in education. He knows that if the country can make its education system the best in the world, economic success will follow.

That's the opposite of what we do here in America. We see education as a social issue, not an economic one. And what happens to social issues in times of economic hardship? They get swept under the rug. We need to change our national conversation on education and our national culture on how we encourage kids. I think what's becoming clear with all of this, is that if we don't start to shift our perspective, we'll never regain our position in the global marketplace.

I don't know if I completely agree with the idea that education is not a social issue, but I understand the idea that framing the issue in terms of economic development makes cutting education seem shortsighted and careless.