Document text
Editorial: Paige makes big blunder on school 'values' comments The Seattle Times April 14 It is the undefined distinctions Education Secretary Rod Paige made in his controversial comments about his preference for Christian values in education last week that are most troubling. "All things being equal, I would prefer to have a child in a school that has a strong appreciation for the values of the Christian community," Paige said in a Baptist Press interview. Christian schools and universities have a "strong value system," he said. "That's not the case in a public school where there are so many different kids with different kinds of values." Different kids. Those are children presumably of Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists or fallen-away Christians. Maybe they are children with gay parents, or poor parents who can't afford tuition at a parochial school. Perhaps they are children of parents who not only don't take them to church but don't bother to feed them or read to them. Different kids, but the same - all of them with the right to a good education that respects them, their differences and their families' values, even if they aren't "Christian" ones. After Muslim groups, the Anti-Defamation League and several other groups criticized the education secretary's comments, Paige said he was speaking of Christian colleges. Maybe. But by college age, students' values are less likely to be shaped by those around them; and who refers to college men and women as "children"? Paige should know well the challenges of public education. By many accounts, he worked wonders in the Houston School District, a diverse district where the number of children passing standardized tests nearly doubled while he was superintendent. His knowledge that public schools can be successful makes his comments all the more disappointing. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -