ARMORGAN.ASC



                       THE FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS:
                      ARE THEY MEETING AMERICA'S
                                NEEDS?


                           BRANDON L. MORGAN
      Scottish Rite Paul R. Kach DeMolay Essay Scholarship Winner
                           11th Grade and Up
               3404 Colgate Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75225

   Joseph Addison, a renowned English essayist, once stated, "What
sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul." Man's
ongoing educational experience and perpetual thirst for knowledge
induce not only his intellectual growth, but also his spiritual
satisfaction.  These goals have led man to construct an edu-
cational system from which he and his descendants may benefit.

   Although the U.S. Constitution makes no mention or guarantee of
a public school system, Americans have collectively desired to edu-
cate their children satisfactorily since settlements first dotted
the East Coast, and they have found the means to implement their
wishes through state and local governments.  Today, more than 150
years after Horace Mann, the "Father of the Common Schools," first
pioneered public elementary education, free public schools still
flourish.  However, concerns are steadily mounting as to whether
the schools are fulfilling their original objectives in order to
meet the nation's needs.

  The purpose of a free public school system is four-fold, consist-
ing of two educational and two social objectives.

  The primary educational objective is to provide a basic
education of certain standardized minimum skills to all students.
In order to maintain the practicality of education, students must
first concentrate their efforts on learning subjects and skills
of everyday importance, such as the traditional "reading,
writing, and 'rithmetic" of the elementary school, and then
progress to the more difficult and specialized areas of education
which the secondary school offers. Every student, rich or poor,
should be guaranteed the same basic education necessary for social
and economic survival.

   The second educational objective of the public school is to
provide guidance in helping its students chose a future career.
Students' interests should be continually evaluated in order to
suggest possible areas of specialized study in preparation for a
future occupation.

   The school should definitely not try to impose occupational
choices upon those who attend (as in some communist countries) but
should encourage students to narrow their choices and carefully
investigate those which suit their interests.  The students should
then be able to take advantage of their free secondary education by
enrolling in those courses characteristic of or pertinent to
their career choices.

   The first social objective of the public school system is to
promote nationalism and instill patriotism in its students.  Since
the public school is a government institution, and since the
separation of church and state and equal protection and treatment
under the law are mandated by the Constitution, the school must
accept students of all ethnic origins and religions.  This serves
to blend the students into one homogenous nationality through a
common instruction in American values and ideologies.

  The other social objective of the public school is to build
individual character.  The Italian educator Maria Montessori
believed "the first idea the child must acquire in order to be
disciplined is that of the difference between good and evil; and
the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not
confound good with immobility, and evil with activity."

  In the course of their classroom experiences, students learn the
values of honesty, self-discipline, responsibility, and common
courtesy.  In addition, they learn how to cooperate with others
in accomplishing a specific task.  These social skills are
obviously invaluable to a person in any career.

   Despite the overall high quality of American education, the
public schools still fall short of the nation's ultimate
requirements. Each of the objectives of public education is
incompletely fulfilled under the current system.

  Students' right to basic education is being distorted under
current methods of distribution of government aid to public
schools. These subsidies should only be allocated to needy schools
primarily for programs in mathematics and communication skills
(such as reading, writing, and public speaking) instead of
special projects or other less crucial areas of study. The American
public school must first guarantee the absolute efficiency of
every student in basic skills before allowing secondary courses to
follow.

   Felix E. Schelling, an American educator, once said, "True
education makes for inequality; the inequality of
individuality, the inequality of success, the glorious inequality
of talent, of genius." Students need not have the same education,
but only the education sufficient for their needs and goals.
However, since everyone shares the same need for proficiency in
minimum skills, it is the duty of the government to see that that
need is fulfilled before others.

   Career guidance programs in American public secondary schools
are sadly inadequate.  The vast majority of college-bound seniors
have no conception of what area of study, degree program, or occu-
pational goal they will pursue in undergraduate work.  Millions of
tuition dollars and classroom hours could be saved each year if
students had a specific idea as to what avenue of study they will
follow.

   It is imperative that the public schools serve to narrow career
choices for the student to fit his or her interests.  This can be
accomplished by the administration of interest surveys, the
establishment of a career guidance desk in the school counselor's
office, or the availability of special classes or programs to
students about career options.

  The public schools have succeeded admirably in mixing stu-
dents of different religious backgrounds and inspiring patriotism
at an early age, but vast improvements must still be made in
integrating all the various ethnic groups into one nationality.

  Much progress in this respect has been made since Brown v. Topeka
Board of Education and the civil rights act of the 1960's for
blacks and other minorities, but a new and different minority has
recently mushroomed in size and importance.  Immigrants and ille-
gal aliens from Central America have flooded the cities of the
Southwest, and it has become the public schools' responsibility to
provide them with the same education offered to American stu-
dents.

  Even though some HispanicAmericans eventually become American
citizens, they still cling to their own language and culture and
thus continue to isolate themselves from American society.  As a
result, they suffer job discrimination and poverty.
Hispanic-Americans continue to badger the government to provide
bilingual classes for those who speak Spanish instead of English,
but isn't that perpetuating their misery and isolation?

   In order truly to help the Hispanic-American, educators should
"stand tough" and allow no bilingual classes, but instead offer
government assistance for English as a Second Language programs,
thus keeping English the standard of American culture.  Only then
can the public school truly produce one nationality with one
sense of patriotism.

   During today's shortage of teachers, classes must become larger;
consequently, teachers have less control over their classes for
disciplinary purposes.  At the same time, extended school hours
continue to separate the student from his parents and family for
longer periods of time, resulting in less parental control and
disciplinary influence.

   If the school day cannot be shortened due to the amount of
material needed to be taught, then the public school must find a
way to hire more teachers.  This can only be accomplished by an in-
crease in teacher salaries, as most teachers feel they are
presently paid an unsatisfactory amount for their industry.
Unfortunately, raising taxes would be inevitable, but the net
benefits for teachers, parents, students, and our nation would be
significantly greater in the long run.

   The DeMolay ritual describes the public schools as "the founda-
tion of our country's greatness," an integral part of American
intellectual liberty.  The United States is a world leader in
education, but its educational system still retains imperfections
which prevent it from becoming the world leader in education.  The
current public school system must fulfill its original objectives
completely before it can sufficiently meet the nation's
requirements.




   [These passages may be highlighted in the text.]

"What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul."
Joseph Addison

The American public school must first guarantee the absolute
efficiency of every student in basic skills.

In order truly to help the Hispanic-American, educators should
"stand tough" and allow no bilingual classes, but instead offer
government assistance for English as a Second Language programs,
thus keeping English the standard of American culture.  Only then
can the public school truly produce one nationality with one sense
of patriotism.



   An honor student at Highland Park High School, in Dallas, Texas,
Brandon L. Morgan will be a Dean's Scholar this fall at Southern
Methodist University where he will study international law. He is
active in Dallas Chapter DeMolay and in many hobbies such as stamp
collecting and genealogy.



