In Challenging China I assert the number thing America can do to deal with a more authoritarian, more expansionist China is to improve our own country. In chapter 3, I detail my ideas for improving America but acknowledge these aren’t the only issues or solutions. So, tell us your ideas for what we need to do and I’ll list them here on the right. Let’s have a productive conversation on policy. Thanks!
Education, From Pete
My idea for strengthening America is to improve its educational system, from public school through college. Kids from all economic backgrounds should have equal opportunities for a good education. And high school graduates, regardless of their economic background, should have a realistic opportunity to afford a college education.
Most studies agree that graduation rates in higher poverty, lower income neighborhoods are much lower than neighborhoods with average or above average income. The schools in these poorer neighborhoods generally lack proper funding to afford books and school supplies, and proper facilities that are necessary for its students to have much of a chance at success at reaching graduation. Funding these schools so they have the school books and supplies necessary for learning would be giving an opportunity to tens of thousands of more kids every year to graduate high school. In so doing those graduates will have a higher opportunity of improving their economic standing and ability to pursue personal growth. Additionally, more high school graduates would help to enlarge a valuable workforce.
The other educational improvement, along with funding high schools in high poverty areas, would be to make college free. Many high school graduates do not move on to college because they just can’t afford it. Free college tuition would remove that barrier by erasing the huge debt that most students have after they graduate from college. Giving high school students a free college education would focus their academic strengths into career paths. Careers that would bring more bright and educated people into an American workforce to help build a smarter nation, and one that is also competitive on a global scale. College also allows students to broaden their own view of the world, and expand their own definition of social justice.
Giving our Americans a fair opportunity for a good education and free college does a few very important things to make America stronger. Our workforce would be bigger and smarter and more diverse. America would also have a workforce that would be more competitive on a global level. Additionally, people with higher education are more able to see the importance of social justice issues and have a bigger bandwidth to look for equitable non-violent solutions to them.