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.

Milan McKinnon

As a public figure that hosts video game tournaments or interviews celebrity guests on shows I find my career to be unique. I’m approached by younger parties that want to get into gaming but don’t know where to start. How can you make a career out of gaming? Read more>>

Peter Hostrawser

This is a huge questions for me. I would change a lot in the education system. I believe there are a lot of outdated standards and ways we do things that have little or no value for learning in today’s world. I work in the secondary education system in a public school with over 20 years experience. I am a business teacher in high school and that is where my lens will come from on changing the system. Read more>>

Jessica Feliz

Nearly a century ago, Carter G. Woodson wrote that many people want to uplift the Negro, but don’t want to develop him. A hundred years later, this is still the case in schoolhouses across the United States. Read more>>

Andy Saintilus

The education system that we all know needs to be thrown out and revamped. I truly believe that you do not need a traditional education to earn a living in America. Through the advancement of technology, we now have access to information like never before. Read more>>

Jonathan Stevens

I believe that our educational system does not do enough to provide financial literacy to our students. In my personal experience once I graduated from high school I knew nothing about credit cards, taxes, debt, interest rates, compounding interest or a retirement plan. I quickly racked up credit card debt on top of student loans like most people in our country. This quickly made life stressful and I always worried if I would be able to afford expenses day to day. Read more>>

Jacob Morrise

I have worked not only as a successful product designer, but also with college students studying product design. It has been one of the highlights of my career to coach students through some of their first projects. some of the best things for a student to experience during college are these hands on, commercial projects. Read more>>

Jonathan Ryan Selvera

I felt a lot of time in school, my ambitions and dreams were dulled and muted by teachers and administrators. It was rare that instructors would take “Own my own business” as an answer when asked what my plan after high school was. I heard a lot of, “most businesses fail within 5 years, so what’s your backup plan?” Read more>>

Deanne Lenehan

There are many issues I could touch on regarding the public school system in this country but I will focus on one in particular. My personal experience as an educator in the public school system was eye opening. My first four years I taught at one of the highest ranked counties in Maryland. However the inner workings left me stunned. Read more>>

Patricia Love

When I was growing up in the 80’s and 90’s the ideal successful person meant you graduated high school, went to college and then looked for a career in corporate America. You worked your tail off and you did whatever it took to climb the corporate ladder to get to the top. Read more>>

Jennyferth Diaz

The beauty Industry is changing at great speeds, but the education system is stuck 20 years in the past. There is an abundance of different products but is overwhelming as a professional, to not just find the right products but also the techniques to treat the different types of hair that we never saw on the books. Read more>>

Brandt Smith

I would change the fact that most high schools seem to push college prep, with little to no focus on trades. Given the rising cost of college and the dire need for skilled labor, trades, such as mason, electrician, plumber, carpenter, and the list goes on, will be a way to earn a very good living without the debt of going to college. Read more>>

Trenae Watson

The educational system, as is, is in dire need of a restructure. Historically, the system has taught children to attend school, learn “mandatory” topics that will possibly never show up in life, while ignoring much more pertinent topics that are sure to arise. Topics like financial literacy, business/entrepreneurship, estate planning etc. These three topics alone are sure to arise in life.  Read more>>