LETTER: Education establishment losing its focus

Having worked in public education for the past 20 years, it has become apparent to me that the educational establishment increasingly, despite protestations otherwise, is operating as a corporate entity at the expense of the education of the whole student. Meetings feature nearly endless discussion related to test scores; the emphasis on creating “lifelong learners” has been effectively tabled.

In this context, one might question the Clark County School District’s proposal to offer art, music and physical education classes online. The reasoning is likely related to the importance placed on reading, writing and math scores. The fact is, these courses can more effectively be taught online than the aforementioned three. Instead of bringing back students to drill them in order to raise test scores, it might prove more beneficial to allow them to enjoy the innate sociability of their “elective” classes.