A high-profile commission warned Thursday that U.S. workers will lose more jobs overseas and will see their standard of living drop unless dramatic steps are taken to improve how kids are educated.
In a report, the panel called U.S. schools outdated and said they were failing to prepare students to compete in a global economy.
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6 comments:
I wonder if the 'school officials' entailed teachers?? Are any of these commissions addressing the high cost of college? Even if a greater number of people have a degree, what prevents business from going to Mexico and China? Does a drop in 'standard of living' entail no cable, new car, big house? I see an interesting future for Americans.
Most teachers I have talked to (mainly HS teachers) agree that we need some BIG changes in education. But they have changed as much as they can with current constraints. I think all teachers want their schools to change for the better but many are at their wits end; facing lack of time, money, resources, and uncooperative school scheduling laws. And unfortunately, our current system has set them up as our first line of defense against the immoral values of pop culture. Personally, I think today's teachers deserve some "combat pay." Teachers and students deserve to be in a system where education is the top priority, not corrective discipline. That should fall on the parents! It shouldn't take 10 strikes for a student to be out. We need a system where everyone understands their responsibilities (including parents) and feels they have an opportunity and obligation to strive for success. I think it's time to "remodel" the current system and give accountability to someone other than teachers. I think they are miracle workers because I sure couldn't do it!
America is the greatest country on earth, but if we do not make some changes and get some community buy-in, the long-term economic consequences may mean we won't be #1 for very long. And THAT will not be education's fault!
okay...maybe I'm just "old school", or totally out of the loop, but what ever happened to kids going to school to explore different subjects, to become well-rounded, or to expand their minds instead of training to become a future work-force drone? Is this the only goal they have to look forward to? No wonder school doesn't hold much appeal for some...
If 10th grade was the last required year of high school (as the article mentions) for students wanting to enter the labor force or a 2-year trade/tech school, what would the 11th and 12th grade look like for the students that wanted to continue so they could enter a 4-year college? Would this help enable schools to increase the rigor and focus on the learning needs of students that actually want to be there? Would this help juniors and seniors care more about learning than their completed credit and GPA? I kind of like the sound of the idea but I wonder what impact it would have on the ever-growing social class separations. It seems like the more system-wide reform is discussed, it looks more and more like the current educational systems in Western Europe and Asia. Then again, they are probably our biggest economic competitors right now. Also, what would this mean for the structure, mission, and purpose of athletic programs as a supplemantary service to students?
Just some random thoughts and questions....
In regards to the last posts questions about sports, Western Europe does not include sports as part of education. Students are encouraged to join city leagues because the schools do not have the after school sports. But their education system is often set up differently so that students have a greater freedom in scheduling of classes. France in particular has half days on Wednesday and Saturday. This allows the students an opportunity to have club and sporting activities during the week with the built in days.
I wonder what else our schools can be blamed for? It seems to me that schools have been asked to fix every social problem in America, and at the same time raise the levels of academics. Through educational legislation we are trying to legislate the morals and values of individuals that come to our schools. IMPOSSIBLE.
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