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From the Editor for Critical Thinking
Quality mentoring commonly results in academic, social, emotional, and economic benefits. Formal mentoring, coaching, leadership development, internships, apprentices, and sponsorships elevate and enrich at-risk mentees for workforce development and quality of life.
As a brief reminder: History and Evolution of Public Education in the United States. Mentors and educators champion at-risk populations. Democracy requires an educated citizenry. Authoritarianism requires an uneducated, submissive citizenry.
Recent and proposed changes to education split society. Dismantling public education will allow only one group to thrive. For example, calls increase to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education so states alone decide education policy.
Mentoring research has not yet measured the results of this new segregation. How will the mentees fare under exclusionary silos and a lack of world-competitive education standards? Without social interaction at public schools, will hate for and fear of others increase? Will a state authority choose whom, if, where, what, and how we mentor?
Business has acted and acts to improve public education for all and expand mentoring. If education fails, big business has led/leads with investigation, best practices, legislation, and mentoring. Read about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and education since 1983..
Far-right conservative politics, funded and directed by billionaires and dark money, is the antithesis of public education and educational efforts of all levels of business. The Heritage Foundation's vouchers were never about choice; they have always been about seizing and maintaining control, i.e., authoritarianism.
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