Quote: and the system is broken. How do you fix it?
The education system did an excellent job of creating workers for the industrial age. However, the work force is much more diverse now.
How do you fix it? That's the million dollar question, but I'll give it a shot.
1 - Schools must move beyond teaching information that can be googled in seconds. A greater focus should be on curriculum that goes deep in understanding and problem solving. Yes, basic skills are still important. However, the process of discovering why the Panama Canal was built is more valuable than just memorizing the date it was built.
2 - Teachers and administrators need time to discuss and review student performance trends and effective teaching strategies. Working on common goals and receiving competent feedback = steady improvement.
3 - Increase efforts to build home - school partnerships. Getting parents truly engaged with student learning is largely an untapped resource.
4 - Online learning... Interactive Smart Boards... iPads... etc. continue to shape how we engage students. Learning really is going to become "Any Time, Any Place, Any Pace" - We need to continue to look beyond the exclusive use of Carnegie Units. Learning needs to occur outside of school walls as well as within classrooms.
From what I see on a daily basis... teachers and administrators are doing a great job within the current system. No one would argue that there is always room for improvement. However, changing the educational system to meet today's demands is the bigger issue. There are many levels of control from teacher leaders to building administration to district administration to school boards to state education departments to the federal level. Within each level there are many other groups that may influence decision-making. Getting everyone to agree on a common plan to change the system is a huge task.
