Education in today's America

I read yet another article today praising the approach to teaching kids to read known as Direct Instruction.  It adds to the evidence that I suspect the primary problem with education in America is not lack of funds (the whole "I wish we had to have a bake sale for the military" line of argument) but instead the approach to education.  In the article linked above, a crowd responded positively to the idea that "creativity" is important in teaching kids to read.  And, being an artist of sorts, I resonate initially with the idea that creativity is something we need to make sure is not stifled or starved out of children (or adults, for that matter). 

But just as with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, if you aren't doing the basics, you don't have the luxury of focusing on warm fuzzies.  If kids can't read, they can't be as creative as they would be otherwise.  Greatness does not emerge in a vacuum.  If you can't read, you don't know what came before you, and you're likely to do no better (and very likely much worse) than your forbears.  Teach someone to read, and they can explore for themselves the rich resources of the past--and then (try to) surpass them!

The advocates of "whole person" education and a focus on "creativity" who neglect the basics that have been around for decades (centuries?) are doomed to fail.  The house falls flat without a foundation.