European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 11, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes James Kilpatrick Friday. October 11, 1985 dramatic changes needed in Public school system two Points Over the past m . Our Public school system ims Lonc i generally poor Job if this Bleak record of performance is to be improved dramatic and costly changes must be made. That is tic Gist of a sobering report on Public Educa Tion just delivered by the committee for  development an organi action of lop business leaders. Financed by 16 corporate and private foundations the million Dotur report was three years in preparation and contains Many recommendations we have heard before for example that schools should impose stricter standards of discipline and that beginning teachers should be better qualified. But much in the report is new and the recommendations Lake on added meaning because of their source. This is corporate America speaking to problems of pub Lic education. If big business really would throw its energies wholeheartedly into this cause a great Deal could be accomplished. Plainly a great Deal needs to be accomplished. The 1980 census turned up 23 million adults Over the age of 18 who arc functionally illiterate and 46 million More who arc Only marginally literate. For most practical purposes 44 percent of Blacks and 56 percent of hispanics Over the age of in cannot read write or do simple numbers. The report says Many High school graduates Are virtually unemployable even a today s minimum  this is the sorry state of . Public  Flora Lewis the study docs not look deeply into inc causes of this failure. Obviously Miny factors have contributed. To move toward excellence he study urges wholesale re forms in the training and pay of teachers and it recommends heavy new investments at the preschool and Junior High school Levels. Fifty years ago the brightest Young women went into teaching mainly because teaching was one of the few professions open to them. This no longer is True. The brightest Young women now have a Choice of Many careers All of them paying higher salaries than the teacher s average beginning salary of $15,000. The ced s study echoes Many other recommendations for bonuses incentive systems Merit pay and the like. The business Community asks for something in return for better pay it asks for better teachers. Toward this end it Calls for greater emphasis on subject matter in teacher training and for less emphasis on techniques of teaching. It urges that teachers be relieved of Many of their clerical or housekeeping chores. The report recommends Magnet schools in Large communities capable of attracting Bright students and imaginative instructors. The report implies but docs not assert that much of the Money required for the pay of teachers could be found by reallocating existing funds. The report notes Between 1970 and 1980, total expenditures for elementary and secondary education Rose Over 10 percent. However the entire increase was channelled to non in   in 1970 school boards were spending 4s percent of their budgets