How would you fix Education?

[luvmylabs23139]

So everyone complains but I have yet to hear any real solutions. All I hear is more money but that has been long proven to not be the solution.
Have at it and I will throw in some personal observations ranging from as a current adult to back to being an elementary student.

[Marvin S]

So everyone complains but I have yet to hear any real solutions. All I hear is more money but that has been long proven to not be the solution.
Have at it and I will throw in some personal observations ranging from as a current adult to back to being an elementary student.

Very simple -

Set the standards at the State level - Testing to prove compliance.

Allow Charter Schools & allow the student to take their money with them when they transfer.

[dnf777]

That's like asking how to make money in the stock market.

Lots of simple sound bytes, but very difficult to find real solutions. There are models out there, that have amazing results, with some less-than-amazing candidates.

One thing on a conceptual level is to realize the fed's role as to be a facilitator, to support, (with money, to a degree when necessary) but no so much as a governor. Yes, states should be left to establish curricula, set standards, etc... And the fed should somehow track outcome data. What outcome data?

College acceptance rates? Employment and/or salary 3, 5, and 10 years post-grad? Any process required constant evaluation, assessment, and adjustment. When those measure above do well, look back 3 or 5 years and see what we were doing, and do it more. If not, do less.

One thing I would most certainly do away with, are standardized national tests! Every teacher I know has complained about they HAVE TO teach for the exam, instead of teaching what they know they really need to. Phys ed, and the arts have taken a huge hit since NCLB.

Seems to me, what we USED to do worked pretty well. Our graduates and universities were the envy of world. Maybe getting back to basics, an even mix of technology and the classic studies...and teachers allowed to maintain discipline in their classrooms would be a good start.

I remember in HS, all the football players with poor conduct grades had to line up outside the coache's office. That line got REAL SHORT, REAL QUICK, and the football team was the best behaved group on students on campus, right after you understood the program.

[ducknwork]

Education is not as broken as parenting is. You can't fix education until you have parents that give a damn about their children's success or failure and kids that have some self pride instilled in them. Until that happens, throwing money and resources at education will be as effective as flushing it down the toilet.

[Lesa Cozens Dauphin]

Education is not as broken as parenting is. You can't fix education until you have parents that give a damn about their children's success or failure. Until that happens, throwing money and resources at education will be as effective as flushing it down the toilet.

You are so right!

lesa c

[dnf777]

Education is not as broken as parenting is. You can't fix education until you have parents that give a damn about their children's success or failure and kids that have some self pride instilled in them. Until that happens, throwing money and resources at education will be as effective as flushing it down the toilet.

WHACK!!

[charly_t]

All good thoughtful ideas. Add the doing away with tenure to the list and they would go a long way to helping the school do it's job. Maybe require parents to attend classes for themselves on how to help their child do well.
Personally I think that the most important class to teach in school now days would be a parenting class ( starting in grade school and every year after till graduation from high school ).

[Paula H]

The comment about families being broken is so right. I am a teacher and have been amazed by how low state "standards" just are. I could go on and on but won't - you never know who's reading these boards.

BTW we don't have tenure where I work - you know you're tenured when they keep giving you stuff to do in addition to the work in your classroom.

[JDogger]

and still...Johnny can't read... 60+ years later.

JD

[Juli H]

IMO, education starts at home. Parents that do not care about their children's education will raise children who don't care about their own education. Teachers fight a real uphill battle when they have to try to teach students that don't care. Apathy is a huge problem here in Tok...and I know it is a major problem across the country...

We need to pay administration less and teachers more. We need yr round school - 3 months school, 2 week vacation, 3 months school, 2 weeks vacation -

Greater emphasis needs to be made at younger ages on possible career paths...Classes which open the world of 'work' to pre-teens and teens...Later in HS, students should have to research at least 5 different careers that interest them - job shadowing should be encouraged. Of course, finding people for these students to 'follow' might be challenging..I would hope that businesses would see the benefit of allowing job shadowing...Also, schools need to realize that not every student is going to want to go to 'college' - there are many careers which do not require a 4 yr degree...

Juli