Our children are our future. Education is at the heart at developing their skills and abilities and yet year after year we hear about the degrading state of our educational system. Our nation has spent trillions of dollars on failed programs that research and experts had promised would work. Achievement gaps persist, performance declines are accelerating and so it is of paramount importance that we explore novel ideas and solutions. You might not agree with many or any of the ideas below, and we certainly are not endorsing policies – our hope is just to create a space where bright, dedicated folks from the community can share their ideas – so that we can all come together and better understand each others experiences, concerns and how we might move forward together to build a brighter future.

Wendy Wilson

As a former Human Resources practitioner and current executive in higher education, I am constantly reminded of the importance of educating students on career design, particularly in soft and hard skills training. Understanding and the ability to apply core competencies are expected when entering the workforce post high school or upon degree completion. Read more>>

Wence Wong

Given the importance of finance in modern society, lacking financial literacy can be very damaging to an individual’s long-term financial success. Having said that, I would incorporate financial literacy into the school curriculum to ensure students are prepared for a more fulfilling life and career. Read more>>

Jimmy Wernsing

I am a retired educator. In one of my positions I restructured a school to relate current education to what students are going to do with the rest of their lives.  I was recruited by the Clinton administration to help start a national program called Schools to Careers to create ways for schools and business to work more closely together in helping students make more relevant decisions about future workplace plans. Every student in this country is going to work for money one day and our education system does little to tie these activities together. Ludicrous. Schools need to make available to students opportunities to think, explore and hear about what they may want to do with their life and know all the opportunities that exist. Read more>>

Domonique Cooper

The trajectory of life after high school is not a singular, predetermined track. Yet, for many students, the education system often feels like a narrow tunnel leading solely to the four walls of a university. This essay argues that a more intentional focus on diverse post-secondary options, starting as early as high school, is crucial for cultivating better outcomes and ensuring all students find their niche and successful placement after graduation. Read more>>

Shebia Clark

I think students should Be taught as early as grade 3 about conflict resolution and how to have good communication skills of understanding their emotions and experiencing their thoughts. I think by grade 6, students should be exploring their passions, inherited skills, talents. Children are put in the world to make life changing decisions at age 18 but aren’t taught how to manage a checkbook or write out their internal visions. Read more>>

Marina Porta

To prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career, schools and universities should teach students about emotional intelligence. Being able to manage one’s emotions in a healthy way, knowing how to adapt to changing circumstances and expressing emotions effectively is key for having a gratifying life and career. Possessing such abilities will only make you a better leader, coworker, parent, friend and partner. Read more>>

Ken Galbreath

I graduated from high school in 2000, so it’s been quite a while, but when I attended, the guidance counselors would sort the students into a “track” based on their grades and… well, I assume that it was just grades, because when I got to high school, the counselor told me that I was in the college track and that I should be focused on honors classes and extracurricular activities that would look good on a college application. And that made sense to me. I had good grades. Society says that we’re supposed to go to college after high school. Read more>>

Sydia Limehouse

As an educator and someone who is educated what I would change is the lack of creativity that is allowed from students . I would change the fact that schools have detention in place I don’t would replace it with meditation and journalling . The educational system should implement hard skills and the importance of credit and creating their own reality. Read more>>

Teyondra Burch

The biggest thing that I would change about the education system is students access to resources or opportunities. From my experience as a teacher, as well as a business owner I believe the biggest downfall of the education system is the lack of things students in lower socio-economic environments have access to. Coming from an area that is lower class in comparison to other areas I have seen what is available where money is. I believe that no matter where students go to school or live, they should have all of the same opportunities. Read more>>

Dontavius Williams

A very important part of the education system that could be a huge change would be including courses that specializes in what the students want to become. If schools educated students at an early age on the moral standards of the world and how it is in the real world to get a career and actually be able to pursue it. They could involve more field trips for pathways, in a way kind of like an unpaid internship in middle school years. As they get older towards high school years, it will be of great interest if they included more paid experiences and job opportunities to add towards their experience to later add on their resume. Read more>>

Justin Shepherd

I believe there’s a crucial aspect of our education system that needs reform: the approach to homework. Currently, our children spend around 7 hours a day in school, not counting any extracurricular activities they might participate in. After all of this, they’re expected to devote 1-3 hours every night to homework. This leaves very limited quality time for families to connect. Read more>>