In his new book, "Crisis In The Classroom," which includes co-authors Benjamin Crump and Armstrong Williams, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson — who served in the Trump administration — outlines the systemic failures with public education, especially among students who don't have the luxury of pursuing school-of-choice opportunities.
"The question is, how do we make sure that everyone gets a good education?" Carson asked on Newsmax on Tuesday while appearing on "American Agenda." "There's a lot of money being spent, per student [in public schools]; but there's no accountability in terms of where that money goes."
Carson said schools have become indifferent to whether students pass or fail, without meeting the baseline-minimum requirements for advancement — otherwise known as "social promotion."
When pass/fail doesn't matter to the teachers and administrators, "nothing changes" with a student's long-term development, said Carson. "And that's not the way the real world works."
For the "Crisis In The Classroom" book, Carson, Williams, and Crump focused on the plight of public schools in Baltimore, Maryland, where teachers and administrators have fallen back on excuses for why students are posting low scores in the classroom and other general-testing situations.
According to PublicSchoolReview.com, the Baltimore City Public School District comprises of 159 public schools and serves nearly 78,000 students.
The district's average testing ranking for the 2022-23 academic year is 1/10, which represents "the bottom 50% of public schools in Maryland."
Also, in Baltimore public schools, the "average math proficiency score of 17% (versus the Maryland public school average of 38%), and reading proficiency score of 22% (versus the 46% statewide average)."
Carson added: "It really doesn't matter what your socio-economic background is. If you get a good education, you make yourself very valuable, and can then write your own ticket" for choosing a career path.
However, to achieve this desired boom in education, Carson said school districts must be more diligent, in ensuring the students are exposed to adults, or role models, with solid occupations — such as doctors, engineers, scientists, and laborers who are in demand.
There's also a psychological void taking place in today's public schools, Carson said.
The "me-me-me approach is bringing complications to society," said Carson. "[The students] need to learn respect for other people's opinions."
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