Image courtesy of: foundphotoslj.
From Katie:
“Education is the key to our future so how would you change/improve on he way the educational system is operated? For example in the U.S. the school system is bogged down with teaching the kids to pass tests so schools can continue to receive federal money.”
August 29, 2007 at 12:56
Pull the federal government out. Immediately.
Nowhere in its enumerated powers is the federal government given oversight or control of education. This must be left up to the states to determine for themselves.
The No Child Left Behind Act, and similar federal legislation simply creates more control and restrictions while ultimately leaving the child’s education behind. Schools are forced to comply and threatened with a loss of funding if they do not.
Government-run education is not about educating the kids, it’s about having them conform to a set of values and standards set forth by the left-leaning National Education Association.
Parents have shirked their responsibility to be their children’s primary educators, and have instead delegated the task to those they blindly trust to do an equal or better job.
Education, like other spheres of life dealing with self-autonomy, should be handled locally by those who can be most easily held accountable, unlike federal bureaucrats getting rich thousands of miles away.
August 29, 2007 at 18:05
Wow Connor, I could not agree with you more. I hope there are more people that are thinking your/our way.
August 30, 2007 at 07:46
The problem with public education is that educators attempt to bring all students to the middle. The efforts of educators should be commensurate with the student’s abilities.
August 30, 2007 at 23:02
Jon, I totally agree. Being bored in class was the rule, not the exception for me.
There are so many better ways to teach than flat lectures with text assignments and workbook exercises, so why aren’t we using them???
August 30, 2007 at 23:44
This country needs to ramp up their math and science education big time or we will be left behind with nothing but the ability to comment on pop culture, while other cultures actually invent useful things and advance society. Like an Indian comedian said, “eventually, we will outsource our stuff to you”.
We can’t rest on our laurels forever.