Jospeh Had a Little Overcoat and Educational Funding

As the U.S. Department of Education make final preparation to dole out millions of dollars toward educational programs, I'm having an unsettled feeling. I keep thinking that much of the money will be siphened off as each level of governmental organizations takes a cut and swarms of consultants receive hefty sums of money for unproductive programs. In the end so much less of the money will actually reach the student level to create a lasting positive impact. Much like Joseph's overcoat, which transforms from an outer garmet to a button and finally to nothing, I have fear that in the end we will receive so little for the money spent. I find it greatly disturbing that so many people will become wealthy through film-flam schemes because adequate control for such large sums of money is impossible.

Even though it is well intended and the goal is praiseworthy, this scope to reform education would greatly surprise me it if is successful in have most of the funds reach and help local programs significantly. I think there is a better way to ensure the greatest effect from use of the such large funds, however.

What if part of the management of the funding were modeled along the lines of Muhammad Yunus's (winner of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize) micro-financing program? What if thousands of small organizations received micro-grants ($1,000 - $5,000, e.g.) within a simplified application process with results being reported in a YouTube channel? My thought is that the chance of thousands of authenic and highly productive projects is greater than those where millions of dollars go through programs managed by states. I would bet on the brilliance and resourcefulness of people on the ground ever time when compared to programs managed through state's burearatic processes. Moreover, as Yunus found, poor people are oftentime extemely trustworthy.

There is a chance that the Department of Education already has in place ideas as the the one I've indicated, I'm not aware of those ideas. Even so, let's realize that presently the weather is cold across the U.S., and we could use ever bit of Joseph's overcoat, even as protection within national funding in education.