Concerned about elementary education? Consider reading (but not buying) "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. Published in 2003, it won the Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature Award.

This book was read at back-to-school night at Rosendale Elementary by the newly hired principal. The principal likes the book because of a single line of text. When the teacher finds a student at the end of class who has yet to start the project the teacher suggests "make a mark and see what happens."

The child makes the mark and the teacher accepts the work. The teacher - and the book - celebrates mediocrity by framing in gold a half-hearted splotch of ink... Once the teacher set such a low bar, the child thinks "I've got talent" and proceeds to create large quantities of mediocrity.

It's all part of the dumbing down of quality and a feel-good educational system that rewards the smallest of effort. The child ends up with walls full of framed art... each "painting" just a different color and size dot of ink. To say that the teacher elevated the dot to be equal to a quality painting is not accurate. The "dot" replaced any quality painting. The bar of quality was so low that changing the size and color of the dot represented a "new and improved painting." The child did not go on to explore other shapes or the combination of shapes.

The yellow dot is just a splotch of ink. A few more simple strokes would have made a sunrise. A feeling of excitment that greets a new day or a new talent. A few more splotches of white could have been clouds and a blob of blue spread over the bootom of the page could have represented water. The picture, a sunset over water, could have represented a calm, relaxed feeling one feels watching the setting sun - a feeling of well deserved relaxation after a long day's work. With just a few simple strokes and splotches, the child could have learned that every painting - however simple - has meaning. The ability to add effort and change the meaning would also be a profound message.

Instead of taking a splotch and teaching the child how to earn well-deserved pride in one's work, the child goes on to make dozens of paintings and each one has the same message: celebrate mediocrity.