Historically, there has always been a link between education and the reduction of poverty. Free public schools in America were created to alleviate poverty by giving every child the opportunity to receive an education. So the question is, does education lower poverty or does poverty lower education?

In Colonial days, education was considered essential for the public well-being and it was not subject to individual or family prerogatives. Although only wealthy children had the privilege of going to school, all parents, including the poor, were required to educate their children to be God-fearing and “serviceable in their generation.”

If parents neglected their duty, the community had the right to intervene. For example, Massachusetts passed a Poor Law in 1735 that states: “That where persons bring up their children in such gross ignorance that they do not know, or are not able to distinguish the alphabet of twenty-four letters, at the age of six years, in such case the overseers of the poor are hereby empowered and directed to put or bind out in good families such children, for a decent and Christian education…unless the children are judged incapable, through some inevitable infirmity.”

You read that correctly. If families were so irresponsible as to fail to educate their children, the community would take those kids away and do the job for them!

By 1840 the heavy influx of immigrants and expanding territories changed the social hierarchy as communities became fragmented. The shift brought social instability along with great fear that the country would fall apart because of vice and crime. There was concern that children who were not educated properly would be tempted by drunks, gamblers, criminals, and prostitutes. Families who did not educate their children became a national threat. The citizens mobilized to create free “common schools” for all children. They also built orphanages and other childcare institutions to house and educate little scoundrels who were orphaned, abandoned, or whose families were deemed unfit or too poor to educate them properly.

No matter what their income, families are the most important educators for their children. And children who do not receive adequate education at home are at risk.

On a micro-level, education reform must start with the family. If a child enters first grade unable to say the alphabet or count to 10, who is responsible?

Ensuring quality education should require standards and accountability for parents, too. If the family is unable to provide proper support there should be some type of aid or intervention to ensure that the child is not left behind.

On a broader scale, our public schools should be improved, not destroyed. Many of our schools are failing for reasons that have little to do with education and a lot to do with larger socioeconomic issues such as high concentrations of poverty, unemployment, gangs, drugs, violence, and, in many families, the belief that education will not make a difference. We need to fight these conditions and change those beliefs.

Ensuring quality education requires a collective effort that includes schools, parents, students, churches, charities, community leaders, employers, and the government. But the government can’t do it alone with top-down mandates. We’re all part of this. The goal must not be to vilify America’s teachers, but rather to help communities, parents, and children reach their potential and appreciate the vital importance of a good education.

Joan SerVaas
The Saturday Evening Post

How Can We Fix Our Broken Schools? —An Historical Perspective The Saturday Evening Post

Betty Hickox
Syracuse, New York

Question & Answer The Saturday Evening Post

Mildred McMurphy
LaGrande, Oregon

Rebuilding Greensburg The Saturday Evening Post

Don W. Marek

West Des Moines, Iowa

Editor’s note: In “Honoring Our Heroes” from the May/June 2010 issue, Laura Ymker, director of the National Memorial Day Parade for the American Veteran’s Center, stated, “During World War II, the average tour was only 45 days.” To clarify, Ymker was referring to the average number of days of combat that infantrymen saw. According to the Center, the average length of overall active duty by U.S. military personnel during World War II was 33 months.

Tour of Duty The Saturday Evening Post

Peggy McGuire
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A “Cut” Above The Saturday Evening Post

Betty Drake

Safford, Arizona

I remember a time when Americans were unified and in love with America for the opportunity it provided and for what it represented. My feelings were rekindled after reading “Waiting on a Train” by James McCommons, which outlined why passenger trains have a future in this country and are making a comeback.

Terry Chambers

I enjoyed the cover story “Waiting on 
a Train.” Excellent and easy to read. 
I felt like I was actually sitting in the coach seat with Mr. McCommons, enjoying the picturesque sites from 
the observation lounge car, and even the aroma of brewing coffee!

Darlene Clemons

In Praise of Trains The Saturday Evening Post

Joy Flowers
Waco, Texas

New Subscriber The Saturday Evening Post

Glenice Hutchins
Falmouth, Maine

More Fun The Saturday Evening Post

Joy Jameson

Collection Corner The Saturday Evening Post

More than that, I found myself thinking about the one thing I’d really like to see made in America—more jobs.

So, where are they? It’s a question on a lot of minds, especially in the wake of economic conditions that saw nearly 7 million jobs vanish. When the 2009 multibillion dollar stimulus package was unveiled, the government promised that stimulus would create and save some 3.5 million jobs, but making that promise was much easier than actually keeping a job tally, and many believe that the actual number will ultimately fall short of the mark.

The pundits say things are getting better. But it’s hard to be upbeat about the economy when most

of us are still reeling from one of the worst downturns since the Great Depression. Meanwhile, stimulus funding to date seems to be favoring Wall Street more than Main Street. Small business, the very heart of American private enterprise, is also the engine that drives the creation of

new jobs, yet recovery funds don’t seem to be making their way down to entrepreneurs—and the people they might employ—with a speed or efficiency that has made a real difference yet. Until it does—if it does—it’s hard to look on the bright side.

But it is surely there. While we may lament our ongoing economic woes, there’s something about tough times that brings out the best in us, that makes us roll up our sleeves and work harder, like the men and women profiled in writer Doug Donaldson’s story, “Enterprising Endurance.” Reading their stories reminded me that even in difficult times, America has an abundance of ambition, motivation, and even optimism. Thankfully, these things, too, are still made in the USA.

Stephen C. George

Editor-in-Chief, The Saturday Evening Post
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