Dear editor,

The nation will celebrate American Education Week on Nov. 16-22, 2014.  Public education has played a pivotal role in allowing Americans to enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living. We would like to honor educators and support personnel for their work ethics and job dedication.  There is the constant debate of, “Is the American public school system broken, or is this merely a myth”? Parents have confidence in America’s public education system. Recent school statistics for the fall 2014 indicate that a majority of parents enroll their children in public schools.

The National Center for Education Statistics projected that about 49.8 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools in the fall 2014. White students will account for 24.8 million students. The remaining 25.0 million will be composed of Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and students of two or more races. The national percentage of students who are White is projected to be less than 50 percent in 2014. The percentage of White students is expected to continue declining as the enrollments of Hispanics and Asians/Pacific Islanders increase through the fall 2023.

Data released by the United States Department of Education indicates that public secondary enrollment is projected to increase by 5 percent between 2012 and 2021.

Total public education and secondary enrollment is projected to set new records every year from 2012 to 2021. The enrollment trend is an indicator of parents’ confidence in public schools.

Public education has made achievements despite low funding. About 3.3 million students are expected to graduate from high school in 2014-15, including 3.0 million students from public high schools and about 0.3 million students from private high schools.  Also, the percentage of high school dropouts among 16-through 21-year olds declined from 10.9 percent in 2006 to 6.6 in 2012.

Moreover, there is an increase in the number of students enrolling in two and four year institutions of learning.

Public education is worth the taxpayers’ investment. However, the decline in Caucasian pupils’ enrollment may have a negative impact on some lawmakers’ vote on public school funding.

Gerald Shirley

Selma