So I was talking to my friend who is a teacher the other day, and I am absolutely horrified at some of the stuff she was telling me. I am now convinced that for our education system to ever recover, we're going to have to start running schools like businesses.
- Technology Initiative- Every school should have access to technology similar to what is present in businesses. You should not be allowed to graduate without completing courses granting the following skills:
- Word Processor
- Spreadsheet
- Very basic terminology (what is RAM, what is mhz, what is ghz... the stuff you'd need to know to intelligently choose a computer in the store)
- Teachers need to be held accountable just like any employee is- The no child left behind act is a step in the right direction for this. Look, bottom line, if you put out x number of classes in y years that can't pass their proficiency exams, you should be fired. Simple as that. I think that teachers should be paid more, but they need to give up this “I'm tenured so I can't be fired“ bullshit.
- Vouchers for all- I really like this idea as a future parent: The government provides $X / yr for your childs schooling. You can send them to any public school you want, or apply that $X towards tuition at a private school. Very simply, this forces schools to meet the goals and needs of the parents or else they won't get high attendance, lose money, and once again, the teachers and administrators are held accountable! It'd be nice to see some competition in schools. The higher education system has been competing for years and it hasn't made that system collapse.
- More digital course materials. Can someone please explain to me why the hell we're still paying top dollar to kill trees and make these thick books? I want to see more course materials on CD/DVD with interactive exercises and content. I think that interactive lessons are better for students, less costly to make, and on top of that we can add a tax incentive for parents buying a pc for their kids so we get more technology in the home.
Anyway, between the conversation with my teacher friend, and hearing about schooling in Sweden from my wife. I may have to consider taking my child overseas to get a decent education or home school. Sheesh.