Complex problem solving abilities, comfort communicating, and an understanding of both globalization and technology are the skills that Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Cynthia Tucker Haynes says individuals need to make American a great country.

Not, she says in her post for The 74, the skills that presidential candidate Donald Trump has promoted during his campaign. While Trump’s campaign focuses on making America great again through guaranteeing financially secure futures for the country’s middle class, Haynes argues that his lack of focus on and understanding of K-12 education policy makes his efforts useless.

"A more thoughtful candidate would explain that the real problem is an economy transformed by the forces of globalization and technology. That means that today’s workers must know more to command good jobs,” Haynes says.

And this simply isn’t possible without a focus on improving K-12 education.

America’s students "need keen math skills, the ability to solve complex problems and the ability to communicate well. But too few of our students are leaving high school with those tools. (Yes, graduation rates are improving, but many of those students still aren’t ready for post-secondary institutions,)” she said.

Trump has only mentioned education a few times during his campaign--mostly to denounce Common Core although the education community largely agrees he only understands the political rhetoric behind the standards and not what they actually are.

"If Trump were serious, he would focus on the reforms that public schools really need — accountability for principals and teachers, innovation that encourages high-performing charter schools and lifting standards that recognize every child’s potential,” Haynes argues.

“...let’s be clear: the slow and winding road to 'Make America Great Again' goes right through public school classrooms.”

Read the full post.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

4/4/2016