This quote is so very true; via education we shape the minds, beliefs, and future actions of our children as the future leaders of our country. There is also a verse in the Bible that says: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” The converse can be true as well, train a child in the wrong way and when he is an adult he will not depart from the same wrong way.

The children being educated today are the statesman of tomorrow. The young children in elementary, middle school, and high school will grow up to be the parents and leaders; the doctors and lawyers of our future. Are we training them, our future, in the way they should go? Are we properly preparing our “most powerful weapon”? Or are we failing to train; or even training in the wrong way, leaving our best weapons immobilized and deactivated. This question is paramount because the very future of our country depends on the answer and our ability to see it through.

Today, Billions upon Billions of dollars are poured into public education both on a Federal and State level. In Texas, for example, 60 Billion dollars was spent on public education over the combined fiscal years of 2006 and 2007; the projected amount for 08/09 is 75 Billion. Is all this spending producing better education? Where does all that money go? In the state of Michigan, as with most other states, the budget for education is raised every year. Yet Michigan has seen a rash of school closings and poor ratings of public schools, especially in the Detroit area.

George H. W. Bush said, “Real improvement in our schools us not simply a matter of spending more; it is a matter of expecting more." His son George Bush, as president of the United States, implemented the “no child left behind policy" or NCLB, which many experts are saying was ineffectual and just a higher output of funds and energy without a higher output of quality. George Bush senior’s other son, Jeb Bush, as Governor of Florida seemed to heed his father’s words a little better. In 1999, three years before his brother would sign the NCLB act, Jeb Bush instilled three things into Florida’s education system which produced positive results almost immediately: clear accountability standards, school choice for students, and meaningful rewards for good teachers. Implementing these changes meant that schools could no longer get by with mediocre to poor test standards and education as each school was assessed an A-F grade. With the higher graded schools receiving bonuses, this naturally motivated the lower rated schools to reach for and implement higher standards. Coupled with this was an expanded school choice program with thousands of students allowed the opportunity to attend the private or charter school of their choice with State funding. This further motivated Florida’s schools to improve as they sought to attract (and keep) more students, which translates into more state funding since the money was/is apportioned based on number of students.

Basic principles of competition come into play with this type of incentivized environment. Quality of play goes up when the prize and competition get better. The key is not to hand out the prize, it must be earned. In this case the prize is more State and Federal money given to the schools. The way it is earned is by raising the quality of education in your school, have high graduation percentages, and students who do well on state exams. Due to their success following this model, states across the U.S. should strongly consider following Florida’s example when considering ideas on how to improve their education system. Public education, in general, is failing; but not due to a lack of funds. And the question right now is not vouchers vs. State funding to schools, or home school vs. public school. The question right now, today, is how can we improve the current system we are in and better prepare the future leaders of our nation? Instilling high standards for education quality across the board, allowing school choice, and rewarding excellence are proven methods and comprise a good starting point for our nation towards improving the education system throughout our country.