What are schools for?

The WSJ posted an editorial critical of Pres. Obama's goals for universal pre-school.  I wrote a letter in response.

To the Editor;

In your editorial "Head Start for all," (February 26, 2013), you make solid points against many of the current fads dressed up as education reform.

"All of this is consistent with the phenomenon known as "fade out," in which any tangible gains from preschool dissipate as students progress through elementary school."  Fade out occurs at all levels in the school system when achievement is measured through standardized exams.  They are distinctly incapable of telling us anything of lasting value about a student.

"Nearly 80% of enrollment is "just a transfer of income from the government to families of four year olds" who would have attended preschool anyway." Vouchers are indeed a sly method to redistribute taxpayer money to the wealthy, not just for preschool but all along the educational system.

"...it can't even be replicated in Georgia." No matter the promise, reforms do not scale.  What works in one classroom or even one state depends on specific goals, dispositions and needs. We are just too diverse as a nation to cut and paste school policies from one state to the whole country.

Standardized testing, vouchers and generalizing 'what works' seem logical. They are not.  Doubtful will the Common Core, longer school days, expanding charters, online education and other fascinations of the new-style reformists succeed to a significant degree as well.  Until we examine a more enlightened and animating reason for schooling, reforms simply serve vested interests rather than tomorrow's students.