Education Reform

Education is the basis for all human progress. This country still leads the world in advanced learning. Our colleges and universities remain the most desirable for post secondary students worldwide. However, it has long been recognized that basic education in America is in large part failing to graduate enough students from high school and to deliver a useful education to many who do graduate. An alarming proportion of students are not competent (or even FUNCTIONAL) in reading, math and expressing themselves on paper (intelligible writing). Education spending doesn’t even make the top 10 on the list of Federal spending priorities. Not that all it takes to fix a broken K-12 is to throw money at it, however, a continuing deficiency in foundational public education has already taken its toll on our economy and will ultimately destroy the advantage we enjoy in higher education. In addition, high schools of the 1930s – 1960s had the responsibility of teaching life skills and marketable skills to their non-college-bound graduates. High schools of the past took that responsibility seriously with technical classes, agricultural classes, work-study programs and homemaking classes. Many high School graduates today have few decent long-term prospects and, along with many college grads, are considered both inexperienced and “unskilled” when they graduate.

These problems are complicated for an increasing number of students by obstacles outside the classroom ranging from lack of support to neglect and abuse.

The following thoughts are submitted to attack the troubles that afflict our education system:
Teachers:
1. Pay them decently! (How can we as a society justify paying entertainers, corporate execs and professional athletes tens of millions of dollars when the average teacher is an income bottom feeder in most states? We must attract the best and the brightest to teach our children. If an average college grad can earn more selling cell phone service plans than teaching kids, there’s something wrong.)
2. Require standardized credentials for all teachers nationwide (excluding subs). Teachers could then have a “national” license and could operate professionally in all states.
3. Require continuing education and minimal personal fitness levels (for able-bodied, of course) to advance.
4. There should be a tri-annual evaluation process conducted by a revolving 4 person board comprised of a peer teacher, an administrator, a parent and a community leader—all of whom would be given training in evaluation of educational best practices. Students would present input to the board on each teacher evaluated. This way 1/3 of all instructors would be evaluated each year and ALL teachers would go through the process every 3 years. The board would also adjudicate conflicts between teachers and parents when they arise. (Today’s teachers have little protection from idiot parents who threaten them or refuse to admit a serious problem affecting their child.)
5. NO TENURE!
6. There should be teacher recognition programs on the local, state, regional and national levels for various outstanding achievements (Those awards should ideally be linked to pay increases and establishing a priority position when requesting plum teaching assignments).

Students:
1. School should be safe, with an adequate physical plant and adequate supplies.
2. Eliminate suspension or expulsion (except in extreme cases and then they go to the Alternative School [or “reform school”!]). Appropriate restitution would be mandatory for most offenses against people and property.
3. A community service class would be part of every student’s graduation requirement.
4. PE DAILY (like actually MOVING) + lifetime fitness ed, sex ed and drug, alcohol, gambling, video game and other “addictions” ed. (If parents object to this, they will be required to provide this information to their children who will need to pass a proficiency exam to graduate.)
5. 4/4 work study programs for those who have selected a career path in high school – School 4 hours, work experience 4 hours for juniors and seniors. This would give them the “experience” they need to attract a decent job right out of high school or sample the career that they wish to pursue in college or tech school.
6. Core “proficiency tracks” meaning EVERYONE must pass standardized tests in reading, writing, math through algebra, computer operation, one foreign language, history and science. (The standardized tests would need to be reworked to adequately test these skills.)
7. There would then be “elective” choices like 4/4 or college prep classes or trade prep classes – i.e., high schools do a pretty good job with agriculture, mechanics, basic computer skills, clerical classes and could probably offer some pretty unique courses (this could fit with a public school voucher system – kids would go to the HS that had classes of interest to them so all HS’s in the district wouldn’t need to have all offerings).
8. All students would be assigned to a counselor who must see them at least 2x/semester and career counseling would be mandatory for juniors and seniors.
9. All schools would have food service for at least 2 meals (full pay and subsidized depending on need).
10. All schools would offer a safe place to study after school until 10 pm (or make arrangements with a neighborhood library or community center for same).
11. At least one school in each district would operate a “safe house” for student emergencies and for triaging students in crisis.
12. Remedial and special ed teachers would travel throughout the district.
13. Enrichment programs would be available to the brightest students after hours in a library or community center (so each school wouldn’t need its own, but the best students wouldn’t be “isolated” in a traditional magnet school).
14. Every school would “adopt” a sister school in another country and do two projects/year (in addition to basic communication) aimed at their sister school.

Community:
1. Encourage student aide and volunteer programs with “bonuses” from the community – like community service awards, discount memberships and merchandise certificates, basic commodities and supplies for the indigent and “points” toward Habitat for Humanity and other such help programs.
2. Encourage the purchase of “extras” that would improve the educational experience (supplemental books and videos, specialized equipment, a learning laboratory or a district rec center with staff, etc.) by giving the philanthropic wealthy (and anyone else who wishes to participate) substantial tax write-offs and credits (Fed, state, and local) for contributing to a community school FOUNDATION that would allocate funds throughout the district as needed.

Federal Funding: Obviously cutting back on our military overreach would just about solve the federal funding issues, especially where accountability standards (as above) are strictly enforced – a la No Child Left Behind only with money and a real plan. I would also mandate that every state “pork” project carry an EQUAL AMOUNT OF FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDING and see how many of those slip through!