What Obama's 'Era of Responsibility' could mean for education

Michael J. Petrilli / January 22, 2009

For an education watcher, the most striking parts of President Barack Obama's sober, yet stirring, inaugural address weren't the oblique references to our schools (which "fail too many" and will be "transformed" to "meet the demands of a new age"). Rather, it was his old-fashioned call for us to usher in "a new era of responsibility--a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly." That's because, in this Age of Accountability, too many of us in the education policy world have been loath to talk about "responsibility," particularly "parental responsibility." It's high time that we did. 

"A parent's willingness to nurture a child...decides our fate," Obama said this week. In his big education speech last May, and on the campaign trail, he was more explicit: "There is no program and no policy that can substitute for a parent who is involved in their child's education from day one. There is no substitute for a parent who will make sure their children are in school on time and help them with their homework after dinner and attend those parent-teacher conferences...And I have no doubt that we will still be talking about these problems in the next century if we do not have parents who are willing to turn off the TV once in awhile and put away the video games and

» Continued

What Obama's 'Era of Responsibility' could mean for education

Catholic schools have a prayer

January 22, 2009

After much poking and prodding, supporters of Catholic schools may finally be springing into action. As we (amongst others) pointed out last year, these schools are essential options for low-income and minority students in urban areas, but have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Over 2,000 Catholic schools have closed since 1990, most of those in the last eight years. It is music to our ears to hear that some dioceses and their communities across the country are rising to the challenge. "It was taken for granted for a long time that Catholic schools would always be there," explains Dr. Karen M. Ristau, president of the National Catholic Education Association. "People are beginning to realize that this is a false assumption." Out: cries of poverty, declining enrollment, and pessimism. In: community involvement, better financial management, and a renewed energy to solve the mounting problems stacked up against these educational jewels. Most notably, these efforts have focused on redefining the governance arrangements of parish schools; instead of putting the administrative burden solely on the shoulders of an overworked priest or nun, dioceses are enlisting parents, alumni, and community members to play a larger role. But shrinkage continues to occur on many fronts and these initiatives are largely small and local. We're cheered by this news, but these efforts may be too little, too late.

"For Catholic Schools, Crisis and Catharsis," By Paul Vitello and Winnie Hu, The New