RH Jones to American Legion Magazine: America’s public schools deserve the Legion magazine’s support

From RH Jones, August 22, 2008
Subject: My letter to the American Legion Magazine

To all:

This is a copy of a letter I mailed today 22 August 2008:

Mr. Daniel S. Wheeler, Executive Director
The American Legion Magazine
P.O. Box 1055
Indianapolis, IN 46206

Dear Mr. Wheeler:

Re: America’s public schools deserve the Legion magazine’s support.

The education article: “Home sweet homeschooling” (exact spelling quote) cites a study by the neo-conservative group Fraser Institute that seems to insinuate, to this American Legion PUFL Member, that the exploding home school movement is a good thing for America. I respectfully disagree.

And this is not the first time that the Legion joined the attack on public education. I wrote to the Legion once before expressing respectful disagreement with the Legion in an article that praised the failed Charter School movement. I would like to ask: How patriotic is it to attack the bedrock American Public Schools System that has broad public support?

Of course, in this imperfect, democratically-controlled diverse public school system, there are struggling and failed public schools that require a fix from a well-rounded research that is unfettered by bias, unreasonable expectations, and political positioning. Any failure in our public school system has been the result of class size, child poverty, and dysfunctional families, crumbling communities, unreasonable/unfunded government mandates, and the constant bombardment of teacher morale.

America now and in the future, as well as depending on a strong military system, depends on a strong public school system; we cannot have one without the other.

Sincerely,

Robert Hudson Jones