Viewpoint: Effective Schooling
Perhaps the day will come when we stop trying to teach students things they don't need to know, things they already know, and things that can't be effectively taught in school. As just one example, the typical high school curriculum still follows an outline created back in 1918 by a private committee.
It can be argued that this didn't make sense then and makes less sense now. It was structured to lead into a college education when most students did not even reach high school, much less graduate. That curriculum was, and is, largely irrelevant except that it creates jobs for the providers.
For example, how much use does the average person, even a very competent person, have for chemistry, physics, foreign languages, quadratic equations, etc. These are extremely useful for some individuals in some circumstances. But for the average citizen? Brief exposure to math and science concepts, or survey courses, makes sense because it gives students an idea of something they might be interested in and/or for which they have a talent. But to require every student to take years of math, or science, or a foreign language, serves little purpose.
It is inordinately expensive. It is not only wasteful from the point of view of the taxpayers but should be rightly regarded as harmful to the students, and many educators, as well. Money wasted is money that shouldn't be spent. It is also money that isn't available for things that need to be done.
Given the above, we may move away from school districts and school boards, not because of bad people but because it is a bad system. It has never worked, doesn't work now, and cannot be made to work in the future. Take a simple controversial example, sex education. When that idea is proposed a school board can either vote to place it in the curriculum or not. Either way lots of people are unhappy.
If they vote for it, they discover that even many advocates of sex education will be unhappy. At what grade level is it introduced? What is presented at each grade level? Is it taught in mixed classes or separately to boys and to girls? How explicit should the instruction be? Are condoms distributed? How about homosexuality? And on, and on.
If all of these Solomon problems are solved, where is the staff found that can knowledgeably, sensitively and effectively teach such material? Which is why, aside from morality issues, or ideological stands, it can be argued that the schools can't do it, shouldn't do it, and, if they try, they are as likely to do harm as to do good.
As for what might remain the same in basic education, there are a few things but they are mostly at the macro education level, not the micro.
Foremost is the fact that, despite those who would separate school and state (there is a national group with that as their title) education will continue to be primarily funded with public dollars, although the amount and the distribution system may be quite different from today.
There will continue to be students and teachers but their relationship may be considerably different and, with luck, better than today.
Most of what is currently done is inefficient, ineffective, needlessly expensive, and educationally irrational if not irresponsible. This is not to deny that it is rational on other grounds. It benefits those employed by the system. It keeps youngsters off the job market, one of the reasons for compulsory attendance, which was promoted by labor unions, among others. And it provides, particularly at the younger ages, a much needed babysitting service, one reason many parents support it, even when it fails to adequately educate their children.
These "benefits" are not illusory or minor in their impact. They are among the reasons why reform has been so slow despite generations of effort, and why the opposition is so vigorous.
But the limitations and faults of the present system are increasingly and glaringly obvious, except to those who will not see, and working alternatives and variations are increasingly numerous and patently successful, that progress toward a better system is at last underway and perhaps building momentum.
David W. Kirkpatrick is a Senior Education Fellow with the U.S. Freedom Foundation and The Buckeye Institute.
