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.

Xolah Gebor

I would change how the arts is viewed and normalize being a creative, instead of allowing the notion of being artsy as a weak, struggling option to survive in . Read more>>

Tayla Andre

Humans naturally are attracted to things that engage them and interest them. We have millions of pages of research of best practices for educating youth and adults. Yet, according to how we educate in the public system, we do not implement the practices that have been proven successful. There is entirely too much bureaucracy in education and innovation is lacked and I believe this is one of the reasons why more parents are seeking to homeschool and or alternatively teach their young people. Read more>>

Jessie Congleton

As a child, I had a lush imagination. That’s helpful when you are an only child who has to entertain yourself. It’s not helpful when you’re a third grader with a math test staring up from your desk. Because just as you glance up from the paper to wrack your brain helplessly for the answer to 8×7, the window catches your eye, and you see leaves blowing around the parking lot like a tiny tornado. “That’s funny,” you think. Read more>>

Heather Lawson-Bradfield

Both parents were educators – my father was a college professor, and my mother was a K-8 teacher. Given that, I have a slightly unpopular opinion about the educational system in that I think it needs a complete overhaul. I went to school for my undergraduate and ended up dropping out about 1 year shy of reaching my Bachelor’s. Barring professional services (doctor, lawyer, CPA, anesthesiologist), I have yet to see an instance where a formal education trumps practical application. Read more>>

Rachel Sheffield

The change about the educational system I would like to see would be—teaching students the legal side of their career. Also, how to draw up contracts for their clients. If a student decides to go into Graphic Design they should be aware of the legal consequences of it. This would save this student money on a Business corporate lawyer. Starting a career and keeping your overhead costs down are challenging within itself. Read more>>

DAVID FERRARO

It is quite an interesting topic. I have always considered that when we talk about photography, in this case fashion photography, the techniques and themes such as light, framing, colorimetry. They are tools that are often taught in a large percentage of the university o course and a very small percentage is left for everything that involves speaking as an artist, defending your job and marketing in search of clients. Read more>>

Daryl Allen

One thing that I would change about the educational system is the amount of access to creative and business resources to diverse youth in secondary education. Many times, only private schools or specialized schools encourage and utilize the arts, music, technology, and trade education while the public school system usually only focuses on basic education just to get students to graduation. Read more>>

Stacey Roselli

I look at education from an emotional standpoint. For over two decades, I have only worked with children who are dyslexic thinkers. More often than not, children with language-based learning differences have a disadvantage in the traditional education system. Our students do not fit inside the school’s box, and they are left with feelings of stupidity and are challenged by a lack of self-esteem. Often, the school staff does not know how to help these learners, and they are placed in situations that make them feel inadequate and broken. Read more>>

Emma Eubanks

One thing I would change about the educational system is allowing young students the freedom to figure themselves out. I was lucky enough to have a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do with my career from a young age, so I could tailor my choices and opportunities starting as early as junior high. Not every student is so lucky, and so much of our schooling years are about learning just the basics. Read more>>

Yisu Zhao

From my experience of studying MFA, I think art education needs to be further subdivided. Our professional courses will prompt us to get in touch with different types of projects, such as advertising illustrations, editorial illustrations, and concept illustrations. However, after graduation, artists will face very segmented market positions, concept artist and Freelancer can be said to be two completely different jobs, but in most illustration majors, these contents are interspersed in students’ degree plans. Read more>>