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.

Luke Slaboda.

As a school social worker, I get the honor of working with students whose needs, desires, and voices are often- or under-represented in the traditional classroom model. The joy I have to share is that thstandardal classroom teaching model is shifting and beginning to incorporate student support tactics that are more inclusive of the diversity in learning, processing, and comprehension styles of our learners. Within this trend, I find the most critical shift in perspective – internalizing that these new teaching methods are to benefit all learners and establish more just and equitable classrooms. Read more>>

Casey Chapman Ross

I believe there is room for improvement in reaching kids where they are a bit more, counseling toward career development options in fields that spark a passion for them, helping them find purpose and thus, a place in the world. “Career” counseling at a younger age, to help them understand how their interests and passions may best lead the way, paving a path for both professional development and personal fulfillment. Read more>>

Corey Woods

I would change the provide more financial and economical educating to kids in inner city and schools of color. Read more>>

SallyAnn Gray

As a trained special educator with over 20 years of experience, I have seen many students struggle to meet curriculum standards. There are many reason one can propose why students struggle. Research does indicate that students are not engaged. There are several reasons why students may not be engaged in a classroom setting, there are so many distractions. Teachers are competing with a world of limitless distractions. The phones and social media, the games and countless upgrades and updates. So what can teachers do? Read more>>

Sebastian La Rosa.

School should be a renaissance beacon for creativity. A celebration of knowledge that is comprehensively absorbed, instead of what we commonly see today which is strictly memorization to pass exams. From elementary to university, there is a lot of emphasis on fast-learning to meet scholastic or semester deadlines. How much information is actually retained at the end of each term? Practicing with hands-on scenarios in the real world is still the best teacher for the human experience. Read more>>

Shanequa Joseph

I would change the strategy and include preparing the learner for real world experience. We can prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career if we add in curriculums, mental and emotional support to the youth. When I was growing up, the school I was in was so controlled and uniformed, it did not give students the space to be unique and did not offer enough resources to prepare me for the real world. Read more>>

Willis Buie

I think the educational system doesn’t actually prepare anyone for real life financial literacy. Learning taxes, personal finance and ways to start/operate a small business would be remarkable. I think it honestly would change the financial make up of the entire country. Most people have no idea about taxes, the stock market, business ownership and the many avenues to learning about it. You would have to pay for this education when in fact, it should be free and taught to everyone. This would, in my opinion, help level out the playing field and give everyone the same opportunities to succeed. Read more>>

Greg Mendolia

STEM careers have ever-growing international competition. We need to motivate our kids at the earliest possible age if they are to thrive in future technologies. Read more>>

Linda Andrews

I would help students remember they are a part of nature, and to help them connect with the natural elements more. Read more>>

Heather Fry.

As an educator, I could identify a plethora of items to change in the education system in the US. However, educating our communities about what our educators do for our children, providing the support educators need, both of time and financial contributions, in addition to recognizing their efforts and showing educators the respect and appreciation they deserve would top my list. Next on the list would be providing required basic life skills classes for all students, enabling them to problem solve, learn public speaking, and manage tasks in a controlled environment will better prepare them for their futures. Read more>>

Jenna Jackley

Oh man… I grew up with teachers as parents, so I learned first-hand and young that the education system is not perfect. First of all, teachers need to be paid more, period. As much as you care about your job or helping children prepare for adulthood, if you’re struggling to make ends meet, your performance and level of care is going to dwindle. Teachers are spread too thin and funding in education needs to change in order to see a difference in our teachers’ and students’ lives. Read more>>

LaToya Gardner.

I would change the educational system to build programs that help stimulate entrepreneurship. As self-employment becomes increasingly common the first thing we need to do is to find ways to educate students in financial literacy. Lack of financial knowledge in early adulthood may affect negatively on spending attitudes, behaviors, personal financial management and then lead into business financial management. We need to have programs in early adulthood that have emphasis on financial literacy as well as business operations, and business management outside of traditional MBA programs. Read more>>

Nita Creekmore

There is so much that I would change about an educational system that is so broken. If I had to lean on one thing to change about the educational system, it would be the way that are our Black and Brown students are often not seen, pushed to the side, where their genius is often ignored, and that they are disciplined at higher and harsher rates than white students in the education community. Read more>>

Jermaine Jackson

For the past 5 years, I’ve been a residential and commercial building inspector in Atlanta, but before that, I had never heard about home inspections. As a child, living with my parents whom owned their home for over forty years, they never mentioned an inspector. As an adult, until recently, I had always rented so I was never introduced to the field until a friend of mines bought a house. Read more>>

Tonya Williams.

We need to teach them the basic principles of finances and teach them how to budget and balance. I also believe it’s inpoirtant to teach them the fundamentals to prepare them for interviews, resume writing as they get ready to join the workforce. Read more>>

Brittany Just

This subject is something I express passionately and is something that’s close to home since my husband and I had chose to homeschool, or more so unschool our twins rather than put them in a public school. We believed if we could expose them to as many things as possible as early as possible, they’d be able to pursue their passions provided the right resources. Ultimately, our hope is that they live a more fulfilling life and career because they were given ample time to discover what they love and are most talented in rather than being taught the same thing every other child is in school. Read more>>

Koach Katlyn

I believe that we need to focus on training students from a younger age on how to discover and develop their strengths. We have too many students who leave our educational systems unable to determine where they should pursue a career and calling. It is my belief that if we made Life and Leadership Coaching a part of Middle and High School curriculums more students would be prepared for a fulfilling life and career. It is also my deep belief that every student needs a practical life class on how to balance their finances, buy a home, and other every day life items. Read more>>