Moonwalking and Education

In 1969, the United States celebrated when Neil Armstrong proclaimed that he reached the moon's surface and said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The thing that must keep in mind that it the race to the moon was started with an idea by President Kennedy in 1961, but was accomplished only after eight years of focused commitment toward the goal. It is focused commitment that must accompany an effort to make something happen. In 1961, Kennedy agenda was focused by fear of the Soviet Union. Today, the largest concern that most Americans face is the economy. Our ability to be competitive in the world is determined by our intellectual might, and as we embark on another round of education reform(s), we must realize that reaching a goal means working out the details of how to make it happen.

There were millions of details that had to be worked out in order to send people to the surface of the moon. The President articulated the goal, but millions of details had to be worked out to make it happen. As with most great accomplishments, the grandeaur of any large event is the culmination of many details.

Education policy makers must realize that making a speech doesn't make an event occur. Although America doesn't face threats from the Soviet Union, it does face economic threats to its current status and way of life. The nation's education system is a slower and more insidious problem to the nation's future than the Soviet Union. Public education has both implication for democracy and economic growth in the United States. It is important, and it is equally important to get it right.

As President Obama embarks on an ambitious education agenda, he must avoid rhetoric and look at the details. As the mishaps in the American space program have shown, the details are important. The tragedies of the space program left visible and dramatic outcomes when details are ignored. Small things are important. Knowing what one is doing is important. The United States' commitment to education must be focused, but it needs to work out the details.