"If you find yourself driving in a ditch, the best thing to do is change direction..."
Yesterday, our "Educator in Chief" was once again on the road trying to "pivot" on the jobs issue. That is not a new thing - this is the umpteenth time he was "pivoted" back the one issue most Americans care about. He should also be talking about reforming education. Good jobs and quality education are tied together like peanut butter and jelly. Right now, our education system is a mess. Not just my viewpoint - many feel this way. I have thought about this long and hard over the past months and would like to offer a different view.
School Day - I have harped about this before. Kids don't spend enough time in school during the day. All kids, from first grade up to graduation should be in school from 8am to 4pm. The high school in the district I live (largest in the state) releases high school students at 2:10pm. Why? There is plenty of day left. When you work full time, it is 8 to 5. School should be at least 8 to 4.
School Year - I just read yet another study on how kids learning start to atrophy after a month away from school. Many refer to summer vacation the "season of forgetting". Much time is spent when the school year picks up again just getting kids back to baseline. Schools should be in session 220 days a year. There should be one month off in the winter time (December) and one month off in the summer time (July). Currently, schools are only in session 180 to 185 days a year. Not enough - not nearly enough.
Number of Years - Whether we want to admit his or not, the amount of knowledge required to grow our economy keeps expanding. I believe we need to go to school longer. Right now, most kids graduate from high school when they are 17 or 18. I think we should have two additional years of education for everyone. If you are not college bound, it would be learning a trade. If you are college bound, you will need it. I have talked to many in higher education who complain kids come to college ill prepared. Grades will be broken down as follows: Elementary school K-6th, Middle school 7th - 9th, High school 10th -14th. I graduated when I was 17, and truthfully, I did not know which end was up. Staying in school, learning or perfecting a craft, would be good for most young people - and good for our country.
Accountability - We gave gone from the failed program of "No Child Left Behind" to a policy of letting way too many get left behind. Strict standards and strict accountability should rule the day. No more excuses. No more achievement gap. Studies have shown over and over again that no ethnic race is smarter or dumber than the other. Get over it. All can and will learn if taught correctly. Failure is not an option nor should it be an excuse.
Conduct - When I was in school, kids behaved better. We had a dress code. Maybe the two were related. Over the years I have seen how kids show up for school. Many kids show up looking like crap, looking for trouble, or looking for love in all the wrong places. Respect for others starts with respect for self. Rudeness, bullying, insubordination, sexual misbehavior will not be tolerated. School should be no different than any other organization. Successful organizations have high standards and policies in place adhering to those standards.
Teachers - Let teachers once again be honest practitioners of their craft. Unions will have to go. Unions have become impediments to teaching and learning. Way too political and self serving. Once teachers can become teachers again, they can work as part of the three legged stool with parents and students alike.
Nobody can tell me with a straight face that we are winning the battle today. We are not. The new school year is about to start and nothing has changed. Many districts are asking for more funding so they can dump bad money after good. Some districts are better than others. In fact, some are doing very well with very little. However, many more are doing bad and some terrible. The graduation rate for some schools in Minneapolis is out and out scary it is so low. That type of failure is a waste of money and more importantly, a waste of many futures.
I have put some radical ideas forward. Many might not like them for a variety of reasons. I am willing to listen to others that have alternate solutions to education. I just have no time to listen to more blathering about the status quo.
Accountability - We gave gone from the failed program of "No Child Left Behind" to a policy of letting way too many get left behind. Strict standards and strict accountability should rule the day. No more excuses. No more achievement gap. Studies have shown over and over again that no ethnic race is smarter or dumber than the other. Get over it. All can and will learn if taught correctly. Failure is not an option nor should it be an excuse.
Conduct - When I was in school, kids behaved better. We had a dress code. Maybe the two were related. Over the years I have seen how kids show up for school. Many kids show up looking like crap, looking for trouble, or looking for love in all the wrong places. Respect for others starts with respect for self. Rudeness, bullying, insubordination, sexual misbehavior will not be tolerated. School should be no different than any other organization. Successful organizations have high standards and policies in place adhering to those standards.
Teachers - Let teachers once again be honest practitioners of their craft. Unions will have to go. Unions have become impediments to teaching and learning. Way too political and self serving. Once teachers can become teachers again, they can work as part of the three legged stool with parents and students alike.
Nobody can tell me with a straight face that we are winning the battle today. We are not. The new school year is about to start and nothing has changed. Many districts are asking for more funding so they can dump bad money after good. Some districts are better than others. In fact, some are doing very well with very little. However, many more are doing bad and some terrible. The graduation rate for some schools in Minneapolis is out and out scary it is so low. That type of failure is a waste of money and more importantly, a waste of many futures.
I have put some radical ideas forward. Many might not like them for a variety of reasons. I am willing to listen to others that have alternate solutions to education. I just have no time to listen to more blathering about the status quo.
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