EDUCATION
“You cannot teach anybody anything. You can only help them discover it within themselves.”
~ Galileo, Physicist, Mathematician, Astrologer, Father of Modern Science
Our educational system is poised for innovation. Nothing is holding us back from changing what we’ve been doing. The statistics show, especially with our high school students, that since 1971, we’ve barely improved our reading and writing (see page 2 and 3 of this report). Our K-12 education system is ranked in the middle of the pack among the world’s school systems.
The United States of America doesn’t serve anybody any good by being ranked anywhere but near or at the top. What are we holding onto with our old ways of doing things? We can do better and I am not just talking about spending more money.
As Congressman, I propose we revolutionize the way we measure and administer education in the public school system:
- Focus on teaching students how to think critically
- Take student assessments at the beginning as well as the end of the school year
- Assess, then teach students how to study
- Identify and educate students by their learning “styles” (Find yours here.)
- Partner with parents to increase our understanding of Special Needs students
- Measure teacher performance on the delta in student performance
- Prepare our students for life in addition to a diploma and a career
- Expect excellence from our students reinforced by respect and practiced discipline
An argument could be made that our traditional school system served our country well through the 1970′s. Teachers at the front of the room, school over by 2 or 3 pm and Summer’s off entirely. 40 years later we’ve lived through the peak performance of this educational model and we know enough to modify the way we teach along the expectations of how we learn.
My Father was a college educator and I have a family member who’s a public school teacher in Alexandria, VA. Most of my education was in the form of public schools, including college but I have had some experience being home schooled and a few years in private school. There are so many ways to learn and our public school system can be enhanced by adapting 21st century models.
Most professional writers and speakers know that standing in front of the room and speaking for a few hours at adults is a non-starter. Companies won’t pay for that anymore because employees won’t retain the information. Why do we expect students to fair any better? Our educational system should empower K-12 with a clear mission: LITERACY.
- Students must be able to READ
- Students must balance a checkbook and understand credit scores (Financial Literacy)
- Students must learn how to LEAD (Emotional Literacy)
The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD.org) in Alexandria, VA has a wonderful motto for our school systems: Learn. Teach. Lead. The United States of America serves the world well when we are in the lead. Our colleges and universities are world class and we will maintain that leadership as we enhance our K-12 education. Innovation in education MATTERS.
