I have decided to devote this post to one of the biggest challenges facing the country. Education. Being one of the most lucrative business propositions for CEO's and also one of the most messed up systems in this country, it's going to be a long and tough struggle to change the status quo. However, I believe that if we can all agree that a kid's education is paramount and we all start talking about change then great things can happen. As Michael Moore compared it to in his documentary, "Where to Invade Next," it only takes someone to start chiseling away at the wall in order to influence change.
For this I am going to focus on K-12 education and leave college to be what it may, however, do not fret, I do plan to address college in a later post. So let us dive in and focus on some raw data in order to understand the problem. According to Pearson America currently ranks 14th on a survey of "cognitive skills and educational attainment". Some of the top performers on this survey are Japan and Finland. Let's get a quick overview of each of the top performers educational systems in order to help this reform.
Japan is ranked second on the list. Much like our system middle and high school students attend school from about 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., however, time is not all spent on lectures. The final hours of days are usually spent in an extra club sport or activity which strengthens and enhances the students learning experience. Also much like our system students have homework assigned daily. Unlike our system, not every student attends college or is even required to attend high school. Elementary and middle school are required but then tests are required for further advancement. Those that don't proceed turn to the work world to apply skills and support their family.
Finland is ranked fifth on the list. The education located here is vastly different from America. School only takes up about four hours per day with a large amount of that including recess and the lunch hour. Students also start schooling after they reach the age of seven which is the developmental age where formal schooling begins to be effective. Another great thing is that standardized testing is almost completely abolished with the only required standardized test is at the age of 16. Finally, students rarely if ever have homework. Finland believes that the child's natural curiosity will both influence and strengthen their learning and make them better students in the end.
So the question is how does America get into the upper echelons of this list of education? The answer is not really that complicated either. First and foremost, separate education from economics. A child's education should not be dependent on a balance sheet. Second, mandate recess and other activities (band, arts, civics) back into schools. Finally, we must realize that everyone isn't meant to go to college or even high school for that matter. Look at two top 10 countries for schooling, higher education is not a requirement. This doesn't mean kids are illiterate because they didn't choose formal schooling. It simply means that they have different skill sets.
There you have it, three small changes to America's system and I'm 100 percent positive that betterment will happen. As always please feel free to leave a comment or a counter-argument, I am always happy to oblige. Please share this with your friends and family and let's continue the talk about the real issues.
