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.

RANNY LEVY

I really resonate with this question because, in many ways, my nonprofit organization teaches kids skills that will serve them for the rest of their life. Today’s educational system falls short in teaching critical thinking to young people, and that is the basis from which everything spans at KIDS FIRST! Read more>>

Zoe Anastasia

Throughout high school, my parents homeschooled me and encouraged me to focus on what I really cared about: storytelling and all things bookish. When I learned about the Author Conservatory, a program for young writers who want to study writing craft as well as business, I knew I wanted to join. What makes the Conservatory so unique is that it takes a hands-on approach to learning. Read more>>

Raven Zaire

Integrate practical life skills, such as financial literacy, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking, into the curriculum. These skills are essential for success in both personal and professional life.Offer comprehensive career exploration programs that expose students to a variety of professions. Read more>>

Brannan Bell & Sabah Khan

The education system isn’t suited for everybody. Personally, growing up in a public school system and then shortly after having to figure out what we were going to study to enter college, and do for a career direction that we potentially will have for the rest of our lives. Read more>>

Jessica Hendry Nelson

Well, as a college professor, I have lots of thoughts about the educational system, particularly higher education. When I teach undergraduates, I find that many of them secretly want to be English or creative writing majors, but they’ve been trained to view any humanities or art degree as a dead end path. Many of them are scared into a STEM business-related field. Read more>>

Journey Taylor

It is challenging to discuss issues related to the educational system as a whole when discussing what it lacks. Regarding the school I went to, it offered absolutely no preparation for life in the real world. In my view, education should provide you with knowledge of the outside world, not only a recap of George Washington’s life story or the effects of the Great Depression and World War II on Americans. Read more>>