Local Control Versus Top-Down Social Engineering

Brandy, your ethical challenge centers on power.  Who has power to do what, when, and where, and how?  We do not like to use this word in polite educational circles; it is nonetheless a reality.  In this case, there is an imbalance of power.  On one hand we have extreme local control.  On the other hand we have heavy-handed social engineering mandates from ivory towers and distant bureaucracies  negating local control.  Your humble servant here, in the final analysis, votes for local control; within the community, the various community stakeholders in education, e.g. parents and teachers, need to have and exercise power over the educational system.  I prefer this at the local level to state mandates for this, that fad to boost the career of some distant bureaucrat who wants to create and ride a bandwagon to professional fame and fortune.  Yes, this is hopelessly out of date, traditional; it is what this writer values.  Dr. Rux