I found an article on AP yesterday. Apparently Gov. Deval Patrick (D) of Massachusetts has set into motion sweeping education reforms there. Among the proposed changes are universal pre-school, 2 year community colleges will be free for high school grads, making the school day 2 hours longer, stronger math and English requirements, and increased teacher training programs. I applaud Gov. Patrick for taking real steps to change the education system in his state. I will be interested to see how Mass. will fund these new initiatives. Patrick has set a goal of 2015 for enacting the changes. He has called for the formation of a "Readiness Project" to find ways to fund the "cradle to career" education plan.
One has to wonder, however, if parents will want their children in what are, essentially, government hands for the additional time. Once again, change in education is good, but where does education end and indoctrination begin? Who decides who children should be taught by and when?
Ideas?
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Thoughts on Education
Fact: The United States education system has a multitude of problems confronting it.
Slipping standards, poor teacher salaries, school shootings, the rising cost of higher education, lack of parent involvement, and a host of other issues face educators, students, and their families. So, the question facing Americans of all ages today is a simple one. How can we solve the problems facing education today? The answer is far more complex, and the process far from easy. Where to begin? We've tried to face problems of slipping standards and funding through the now infamous "No Child Left Behind" Act. Neither problem was solved, however, and all that was developed through it is a growing disillusionment as to the dubious methodology of our elected leadership. We must look at each child as an investment in the future of the world. Somewhere in an inner city may be the child who could, with the proper education, cure cancer, or AIDS, or send us to the farthest reaches of space. Nothing is beyond the reach of humanity's children, and yet they are our most neglected resource. Simply giving our education system more funding is like sending billions of dollars in aid to a nation that uses it to build palaces while the people starve. To throw more money at it doesn't fix the problem.
I have a few ideas. By no means are they perfect, but they are ideas for change which could actually be implemented in a reasonable amount of time.
What if our schools were run like a business with investors to whom they are beholden? Could our school administrators be given more liberty with school policies that would allow them to tailor to the needs of their communities? What if we started pilot schools that take on education from a completely different angle? Could we find a new formula for educating our children that would revolutionize the way we look at education? Why not require real world experience in a teacher's focused area before they can teach? Perhaps we could try more individualization of the learning process from an earlier age. How can we involve older children in the education of the younger? Would it be beneficial? How can we foster both a sense of community and of competitiveness in our young people? What if we required more reading? Could leadership development programs be made a requirement at all levels? Only a few? Which and why? What would happen if we privatized education? Just a few ideas I have. Next post I'll expand on a few, but in the meantime think, respond, offer ideas.
Don't forget to read up on education news and look at what's happening in America today.
Pursue truth.
Slipping standards, poor teacher salaries, school shootings, the rising cost of higher education, lack of parent involvement, and a host of other issues face educators, students, and their families. So, the question facing Americans of all ages today is a simple one. How can we solve the problems facing education today? The answer is far more complex, and the process far from easy. Where to begin? We've tried to face problems of slipping standards and funding through the now infamous "No Child Left Behind" Act. Neither problem was solved, however, and all that was developed through it is a growing disillusionment as to the dubious methodology of our elected leadership. We must look at each child as an investment in the future of the world. Somewhere in an inner city may be the child who could, with the proper education, cure cancer, or AIDS, or send us to the farthest reaches of space. Nothing is beyond the reach of humanity's children, and yet they are our most neglected resource. Simply giving our education system more funding is like sending billions of dollars in aid to a nation that uses it to build palaces while the people starve. To throw more money at it doesn't fix the problem.
I have a few ideas. By no means are they perfect, but they are ideas for change which could actually be implemented in a reasonable amount of time.
What if our schools were run like a business with investors to whom they are beholden? Could our school administrators be given more liberty with school policies that would allow them to tailor to the needs of their communities? What if we started pilot schools that take on education from a completely different angle? Could we find a new formula for educating our children that would revolutionize the way we look at education? Why not require real world experience in a teacher's focused area before they can teach? Perhaps we could try more individualization of the learning process from an earlier age. How can we involve older children in the education of the younger? Would it be beneficial? How can we foster both a sense of community and of competitiveness in our young people? What if we required more reading? Could leadership development programs be made a requirement at all levels? Only a few? Which and why? What would happen if we privatized education? Just a few ideas I have. Next post I'll expand on a few, but in the meantime think, respond, offer ideas.
Don't forget to read up on education news and look at what's happening in America today.
Pursue truth.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Hello Everyone
Hello Everyone!
I am very excited to be starting this new blog, The Search, looking for real solutions to real issues in America. Education, security, family, politicians, the environment, and many more.
I am NOT saying in any way that I am an authority on these issues, just someone who is concerned about the environment of division in our country. I, just like many of you, am trying to find the things that we all can agree on, and that can cause real change in our country. You will not agree with me on everything, you may disagree with me on most things, but I hope that we can always agree that we all want to create a better now. Tomorrow will always be out of reach, and the past is set in stone, but we can change the present with an eye to tomorrow. Let's look at the big picture and find where we can paint over it and make a more beautiful portrait of the world we all share. Please comment, and consider this a safe place to put forward ideas, but please do not attack anyone who does comment personally. Ideas are fair game here. Mine and yours. So, first and foremost, what is the most pressing issue in America today? I know for me it is education, and soon I will put forward some of my ideas on it. What is it for you?
I am very excited to be starting this new blog, The Search, looking for real solutions to real issues in America. Education, security, family, politicians, the environment, and many more.
I am NOT saying in any way that I am an authority on these issues, just someone who is concerned about the environment of division in our country. I, just like many of you, am trying to find the things that we all can agree on, and that can cause real change in our country. You will not agree with me on everything, you may disagree with me on most things, but I hope that we can always agree that we all want to create a better now. Tomorrow will always be out of reach, and the past is set in stone, but we can change the present with an eye to tomorrow. Let's look at the big picture and find where we can paint over it and make a more beautiful portrait of the world we all share. Please comment, and consider this a safe place to put forward ideas, but please do not attack anyone who does comment personally. Ideas are fair game here. Mine and yours. So, first and foremost, what is the most pressing issue in America today? I know for me it is education, and soon I will put forward some of my ideas on it. What is it for you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)