I wrote a previous article titled: "The Current Education System Is Failing Our Children." It was based on a study that showed the rapid decline of the quality of our public schools. Some contributing factors were the huge size of the nation's school districts today, the reduced influence of PTAs, and the increased involvement of the unions. Mike Hodges, author of The Grandfather Economic Report, challenged parents to ask their school boards some direct questions, such as: "Provide me with a 15-year trend for audited SATs." He reports that schools-for the most part-are just not tracking results or ensuring that children are learning and moving ahead. And we are radically behind our foreign counterparts. Some of our readers asked: "So what is the solution?" Here are some of the solutions that the analyst, Mike Hodges, recommends for consideration (and action!):

Decentralize The system has become too large, too centrally controlled by bureaucratic planners located far from local districts. We must decentralize the system and return control to the local districts, parents and local taxpayers. Downsize bureaucracies Downsize all federal and state education bureaucracies by at least 95 percent. Any funding left at these levels should be used to consolidate school performance and test results and spending-per-student data. This information should then be provided to the public at regular intervals during each year. The resulting savings should be funneled to local school districts. Reduce the size of schools and school districts Small school districts and smaller schools are preferable to large organizations. The report showed that violence is more prevalent in larger schools, students feel less of a sense of belonging, and parents are allowed less input. Restrict national union influence Mandate that all officers must be full-time residents within the school's district; keep it community-based. Once local school districts are in more control, efforts should be made to privatize as many services as possible. Attract the teachers that are in high demand Teachers' tenure and compensation packages should match, not exceed, those in the surrounding non-government (private) schooling sector. Exceptions should be granted for skills in short supply, such as math and the hard sciences. Give parents flexibility Each school board should adopt a waiver appeals rule allowing parents (under certain conditions) to have their child transferred to any other public or private school in that district to enhance education quality. Parent communications Each district and each school within a district should hold monthly parent-teacher meetings, with all parents invited and encouraged to participate. Set high standards School boards should adopt strict standards for passing each grade and the assignment of letter grades, with reports issued monthly for parent signature. (So called "social promotions" must be eliminated at all levels.) Test scores: available to the community Each school should provide parents and the community with comparisons of their school's standardized test scores ranked against other public and private schools . Parents have the right to know how their children are doing... Bottom Line: The main objective of each school board must be the best education quality for the lowest cost. For further information on the education report, you can refer to Mr. Hodges' Internet site: The Grandfather Economic Report, http://home.att.net/~mwhodges/