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.

Vics Vibes

I would love to implement more AR/VR tech into the education system, specifically in areas where the exposure to opportunity is limited. Augmented reality technology transforms the education system from a fact memorization competition, to a world of truly experiencing concepts, history and technology in a way that simply has never been made available. Traditionally we have been limited by the knowledge base of the teacher or the quality and quantity of the reading material available. Read more>>

Ashley W.

What I would change about the educational system is the lesson plan. The lesson plan should include finances (taxes, exemptions, inflation, balancing a checking account, investment plans, dividends, and pay rates) that are experienced in everyday life. Incorporating that knowledge would give kids a jump start on a different way to think about money. Which, would ultimately change their relationship with money when they are old enough to work, and/or start a business. Read more>>

Christopher Schroeder

A proper education would include a balance of theory and practice. It should result in an ability to apply the information to a desired result. You need to have a purpose in mind when you are studying something. “What can I do with this information?” is a question one should be asking of himself as he studies. Unfortunately, our educational system is almost solely theory and it winds up graduating students without any real-world skills to speak of and certainly no expertise in any given trade. Read more>>

Saladin Allah

Knowledge of self is key! As an early childhood educator, there are many things that I would change about the educational system. In fact, this is part of the inspiration behind me building my own educational institution called the Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters. When you look at the etymology of the word educate it comes from the Latin word “educare” which means to lead or draw out. Most educational systems that we see are not focused on drawing out the infinite potential in students that they can fashion into a purpose that contributes to our society. Read more>>

Christopher Ken Macon

I personally think that taking children through 12 years of school thinking that spending thousands of dollars on more school is the only way to be successful is not only untrue but a hindrance to their growth. The world is about growth and change and everyone doesn’t need college to be successful. Trade schools are a better fit in my honest opinion. Going through 4-6 years of college where you only work in your field the last 1-2 years of college of a money gimmick. Read more>>

Kye Pirrie

I think the lack of practical and creative electives in most schools is atrocious. I think there needs to be a much greater emphasis on practical and creative knowledge at least at the high school level. Cooking, banking, how credit works, how to buy a house, and classes spanning different industries all need to be standard. How are kids supposed to figure out what they want to do with their life, let alone how to function in the real world if they’re not exposed to things? You can’t know what you’ve never seen. Read more>>

Lauren Piland

As a former elementary teacher who quit after four, short years, I feel like there is a lot we could/should change about our educational system. The main focus should always be on how we can support our students, and in direct relation, how we can support our teachers. And the sad truth is that there are varying percentages of kids in crisis across our country. There are students that come to school looking for refuge, looking for safety, looking for stability, and usually academics is the last thing on their minds. Read more>>

Ramon Vega

The education system does not prioritize health and fitness. The system is slowly progressing but physical education, for instance, still lacks in teaching kids how to exercise correctly and have proper biomechanics. The criteria that is being taught is a basic one size fits all, with tests such as a pull up or push up test that not every student can complete and yet they are not being taught how to work towards the goal of actually achieving those movements. Read more>>

Brandi Bernert

Yes the education system. Our young people believe that our education is invaluable and they do not benefit; therefore, our shop would like to teach sewing classes and how to start a online business, balance expenses and the importance of credit. Read more>>

Bre Elle

There is so much we creatives are not taught in school or even in life from other people sometimes. Growing up being creative I wasn’t always encouraged to go after my dreams because they weren’t the normal choices people made to have a stable career. My folks expected me to go to college, get a good job and stay there until I retired. Something about that didn’t sit well with my spirit and I chose a different path. I always had my natural abilities but what I lacked was the understanding of how to operate a business. Read more>>

Peyton Curley

I believe that we can prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career by explicitly and intentionally teaching and practicing emotional skills and relationship skills as a daily part of their school experience. As a former public school teacher, I felt a heavy sense of pressure surrounding test scores and academic achievement and much less regard for the student as a whole person. The focus of nearly every staff meeting was test score data, but the true issues teachers were seeing in their classrooms were more often related to social and emotional wellbeing. Read more>>

Amy Leake

I would love to see more emphasis on introducing students to careers in the technical fields. Read more>>