The following is an op-ed by Jerry Wyant, an Iowa resident and founder of Make Education Work, a grassroots push to improve education that he started because he "was tired of hearing teachers being blamed for many things that they have no control over."

Instead of taking corporate money in exchange for letting corporations dictate education policy based on their bottom line concerns, why not try this:

Make sure these corporations are paying their fair share of taxes at both the federal and state levels. Then, use a portion of that money to fund education.

This will improve education:

- Education policy can be based on the actual goals of the education system instead of the profit motive of corporations.

- Professional educators, not profit-hungry managers, should determine more of the policy. This will create an incentive for politicians to listen to the education professionals more, to the corporate CEOs less.

- With tight budgets, especially at the state level where education consumes a large percentage of the budgets, public schools will be more adequately funded.

- With educators having a larger say in policy, those who love to teach, and are motivated by their accomplishments as teachers, will stay in the profession. The teaching profession will be able to attract more of the best into the profession to begin with.

- With educators having a larger say in policy, funds can be directed to where they they are needed most to achieve the overall goals of the education system, instead of simply being directed to where they can improve the bottom lines of selected corporations.

- Perhaps students will be able to find what they are good at, and what they are interested in, instead of having all funding at all grade levels being funneled into "core" subjects. The arts won't have to suffer, social sciences won't have to suffer, and the "core" subjects at higher grade levels will attract those who are the best in those subjects.

- Perhaps, just perhaps, teachers could be paid more according to the requirements that they have to meet in order to enter the profession. Perhaps teachers could also get respect for their abilities and sacrifices, and the on the job experience they have, instead of being blamed for society's problems. Perhaps even the teachers' burden of paying for school supplies out of their own pockets can be alleviated.

As a bonus, these improvements could also spark changes that would improve the economy:

- Money that is now being used to fatten corporate profits, pay millions in executive salaries, invest in overseas jobs, and for political contributions could be redirected towards something that will actually create American jobs. More students would be taught to think creatively for a changing global economy, instead of a narrower focus of "bubbling for corporate shareholders". More entrepreneurship thinking, less CEO thinking, is how future jobs will be created.

- Corporations would have more incentive to actually create jobs. If their marginal tax rates are increased, and everybody knows that they don't like to pay taxes, then they would have more of an incentive to take the tax write-off that comes with investing in human capital. They have enough money now to invest in jobs, but are not doing so. Increasing their tax rates would help to give them the incentive that they need.

- States could quit engaging in a race to the bottom. Currently, states are using tax incentives to lure businesses away from other states. This is a zero-sum game that creates no wealth and no jobs for the overall economy. Since no wealth and no jobs are created, the net result is lower tax revenues for the states. This money could instead be available for education funding.

- With a more progressive tax code, the middle class could start growing again. A strong middle class is necessary for the long term health of the economy, for economic growth, for improving the standard of living. The middle class provides the necessary ingredients to make the economy function properly: consumer demand, labor, savings, and investment. The middle class is also necessary to maintain hopes of achieving the American dream of upward mobility. In the long run, business confidence begins with a healthy middle class.

- With tight state and federal budgets, the burden for funding public schools often falls on property owners in the form of property taxes and local taxpayers in the form of education bonds. Putting more tax revenue from corporations into the federal and state budgets would alleviate this burden on American citizens at the local level.

Since the burden of funding currently falls more at the local level, and policy currently is dictated at the federal level, the American goals of universal education and equal opportunity are being lost to current policy. We are moving away from, not towards, these goals with current policy and reform efforts. Giving education professionals more say in policy, and taking more of the burden of education funding away from local citizens, will put policy more in line with these goals.

Obviously, nothing like this is possible in today's political climate. Currently, this will look to many as being nothing more than wishful thinking. It will take the actions of many, not the words of one, to change the climate. Politicians and American voters would have to be aware, to understand the problems with the current realities, as well as the realities of what is possible. This requires some fundamental changes in the public's thinking process. No one person or small group of persons can change that many minds in a short period of time. But the more the word gets out, the shorter and less painful the process of true reform needs to be. We are already seeing a backlash against "reform" in a number of jurisdictions. Let's keep that momentum moving forward!

Photo courtesy of Newsone.