The Dependence of the Public Good on a High Quality Education

By Trisha N. Strous
12th grade
Amanda-Clearcreek High School

Imagine this: no one in the entire world possesses a high quality education. People can do basic math, have some literary skills, and maybe even know a little bit about science and social studies. That is about it. Obviously, there would be few great thinkers or philosophers; great writers would definitely be out of the question then. This would not be due to the lack of potential, but to the lack of formal development of this potential. Intellectualism would suffer, and just forget about attempting to run a whole country. Because each individual nation would be affected by the absence of proper education, global chaos would ensue. Famine, wars, poverty, and corruption would undoubtedly prevail with nobody intelligent enough to prevent them. Poor education or no education at all would be the downfall of society.

Fortunately, the world has not regressed that far in education, which is pivotal to the issue of the public good. People require basic knowledge and skills simply to be able to function; an education is the means of providing these necessities. It is extremely difficult to acquire a good job and turn that into a career if a person does not have employable skills that are learned from schooling. How is someone going to produce or design products for others when he or she cannot perform simple calculations or formulate ideas properly? Every single person relies on everybody else for communication, leadership, and responsibility, holding the economy together. A high quality education allows the everyday, commonplace operations of business throughout the global community to run smoothly.

Education is not just necessary to orchestrate international operations; it produces informed, enlightened citizens. People simply do not like to associate with other people who are ignorant or uninformed. Although pleasant conversation and other types of human interaction may seem trivial compared to global catastrophes, a world without these fundamentals would overflow with hardships. People depend on others for guidance during difficult times. Talking with other intelligent human beings helps to resolve problems, comfort, and understand human nature. Without these interactions, it is too easy to jump to conclusions, which could lead to arguments, misunderstandings, and even crimes. A proper education is not only "book learning," but honing people skills that should prove useful in a society that often sticks its foot in its mouth.

A good education entails adequacy for all students. "Adequacy means providing all children an excellent education and an equal chance at successful academic achievement" ("Know"). This adequacy is what allows young pupils to become the public that will depend on the high quality education of the proceeding generation, and so on. There can be no public good without adequacy; the former requires the latter to continue this cycle of everyday life efficiently. Although equity in education is important, adequacy focuses on every single student (in its ideal). It perpetuates an education for all who desire one, and even for those who are indifferent to the issue. It simply is not enough for a select few people to receive a proper education. The cycle of everyday life will cease to progress in a circle if only some pupils are obligated to ensure the good of the public.

A high quality education and the public good are irreversibly linked together. Basic skills and knowledge are essential for humans to continue their lives; people need jobs and money. Education maintains the functioning of the economy, and it provides the means for pleasant social interaction. Even the crime rate is affected by education. Adequacy in this area is required to produce intelligent people who are capable of running a country. Living without a good education is comparable to the erosion of the base of a mountain: once that foundation is gone, it is only a matter of time before the entire mountain comes crumbling down to reality.

Works Cited
"Know the Issues: Adequacy." Ohio Fair Schools Campaign. 26 Feb. 2005 <http://
www.ohiofairschools.org