Congressman Rangel Calls for a National “Crusade” for Education

Calling education an issue of national security and international competitiveness, Congressman Charles Rangel, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, called on public education advocates to work to turn quality education into a major national issue. In a powerful and engaging Keynote Address that received a great deal of praise from participants at the Seventh Annual Quality Education Conference, the Congressman stressed the importance of education to ensuring the country’s economic well-being in an era of transition from a manufacturing-based economy to one centered on knowledge and technology.

Evoking imagery reminiscent of Oliver Wendell Holmes’s classic poem, “The Deacon’s Masterpiece,” Congressman Rangel likened the maintenance of our national social infrastructure to the maintenance of a car. Since all parts of a car are linked, failure to properly maintain all the key pieces of the car can cause the whole thing to collapse suddenly and completely. The Congressman said our national welfare was similarly delicate and interconnected. In his first example of the necessity of maintaining our social infrastructure, he called for a national health care program, saying, “If you don’t do something to keep people healthy…you’re going to increase the explosion of those people who require intensive care.”

Similarly, an education system that is neglected will end up failing the country. The Congressman poignantly described the enormous social costs of inadequate education, the number of promising students who end up as drop-outs and land in prisons, and how many Americans lack access to affordable health care. These social and economic costs will, if left unaddressed, become staggering, he said.

To illustrate the beneficent role that the federal government can play in promoting education, Congressman Rangel harkened back to his own experience. After dropping out of high school, the Congressman entered the U.S. Army and later went to college on the G.I. Bill, a piece of legislation to which he attributed much of his later success.

The Congressman insisted that approaching education as a national issue was not simply about “love and compassion,” but rather America’s ability to compete on the global stage. Given that manufacturing jobs are being lost, in theory to be replaced with high-tech jobs, workers must be prepared for those new opportunities. In light of these changing circumstances, Congressman Rangel questioned whether the country can afford to view public education – as most people do – as a local issue. He pointed out that some countries with which the United States is competing economically provide both education and health care to their citizens. Economic success – and with it national security – rely on a strong system of education.

While the Congressman felt that business leaders were already aware that education needs to be improved and were working with the federal government to find ways to keep children in school, he said that the general public and even people in the quality education community were not passionate enough. Congressman Rangel called for a “crusade” akin to that sparked by President John F. Kennedy’s pledge to land a man on the moon, which, the Congressman reminded the audience, was about stimulating interest in higher education. The problem, as Congressman Rangel saw it, is that there is no strong national movement for quality education. Such an effort would require action from many angles and parties; the public needs to put pressure on Congress to act, and the private sector – which has a vested interest in skilled, competitive workers – needs to become involved in education, partnering with the federal government on education reform. In addition, advocates for education quality should try to change public attitudes toward education. “Those kids can’t fight for themselves,” he cried, and people must organize to tell Congress what problems need to be solved. “We are damn sure not ready with the federal budget to give education the funding it deserves,” Congressman Rangel said, “but there’s no outrage about that.”