Education
Maybe you think that we have an urgent need to lower our carbon footprint. Maybe you think income inequality is unjust. Maybe you think Artificial Intelligence, the internet of things, and robotics will radically disrupt the workplace, creating significant social problems. Maybe you think the unfunded mandates embedded in the entitlement tsunami headed our way will ruin the economy. Maybe you think we ought to develop a robust missile defense before the nut job in North Korea decides to turn us into a cinder. If you believe one or more of those things, you should be concerned about the state of education in our country. In order to address these and other significant problems we face, we need more and better scientists and engineers, more astute thinkers and commentators, better informed politicians, more efficient bureaucrats, and an educated electorate. Smarts are going to be required. Brute force won’t get it done.
There are some bright stars in our educational firmament. Wealthy parents can find a lot of superior private schools. Residents of many toney suburbs have good school systems supported by active parental involvement. Some dedicated souls are operating excellent charter programs. On-line courses have the potential to improve learning outcomes. Material is readily available to assist those who want to home school their children. At least 3 million kids are being home schooled right now. Many of our universities do a good job of teaching the hard sciences. Some of our graduate programs attract students from around the world.
But it’s mostly darkness. Inner city schools are mostly awful. High school dropout rates are abysmal. We graduate illiterates from many high schools. The average college student spends 30 hours a week on classroom and study combined (THIRTY HOURS A WEEK!!!). Grade inflation is rampant. 53% of college and university grades passed out are “A” or “A-“. Many of todays pampered youth think a high grade is theirs by right.
How do we get to a better product? I say let a thousand flowers bloom. Charter schools, on-line courses, parochial schools, for-profit schools and some forms yet to come. The public school establishment wants a monopoly. Monopoly is almost always good for producers; hardly ever good for consumers. There certainly needs to be accountability. Any school that fails to educate should be closed, whatever its format. The best route to improved performance is competition.
What should we be teaching? When I was young (well back in the last century), the essentials of education were summed up as the three Rs (readin’, ritin’ & rithmatic). That won’t do today. We need to add to that list. Here are a few suggestions.
Most important is critical thinking. Every student should be taught to make and be persuaded by a well crafted logical argument. We can never get anywhere near truth without a reasoned dialogue. Every child should be taught the scientific method. It is impossible to weigh evidence necessary to make technical decisions unless the quality of research can be judged. Failure in this area leads to such insanity as the refusal of parents to get their kids vaccinated.
The study of history is vital. To approximately quote a famous man, history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. Experience is the best teacher, especially the experience of failure. Failure to learn from history’s failures means a greater chance of making the same mistakes over and over again. History provides a context for any serious policy consideration.
The ability to communicate coherently is critical to most career advancement. At every level of any organization, clear communication is at the heart of successful leadership. Every student should learn how to write (more than 140 characters + emojis). Every citizen should be equipped to stand before a public body and make a persuasive presentation.
THE gaping hole in most academic programs is economic literacy. We geezers are going to suck up more and more resources. Very tough decisions about resource allocation are going to have to be made. Productivity growth is essential to solve the problem. Today’s young people will have to support their elders and provide for their own retirement. They will have to learn how to save and invest. All of that is hard if you don’t understand compounding, risk/reward, supply and demand and fiduciary responsibility.
Our democracy will not survive without active and knowledgeable participation of its citizens. We have to start teaching Civics again. Citizens need to know the meaning of the Bill of Rights and separation of powers. They need to understand the mechanics of legislation and regulation, so they can participate knowledgably instead of wallowing in emotional venting. They need to understand that compromise is at the heart of the system.
Finally, we have to invent a trade school system. Learning is going to be a lifelong thing. No job existing today is safe. Advancing technology may blow any trade away. Training for a new trade will need to happen a number of times over the working life of today’s young folks. This isn’t a job for government, because even government at its best is almost never on the cutting edge (except the military in wartime striving to stay alive). But appropriate private sector behavior can be encouraged by government. A partnership between employers and educators is what is needed to be sure graduates of any program walk away from training ready to produce in the real world. Employers can be compensated for giving employees time off to be instructors. For profit schools can be allocated student loan funds based on their track record of actually placing graduates in jobs. Community colleges can be encouraged to set up curriculum task forces with local employers. The best possible method would be a combination of study and work.
The world has become more complicated and competitive and dynamic. We need to step up our game if we want to prosper in that environment.
