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.

Dominique Lyvar

Texture should be taught throughout and not just in a few chapters and the educators also need to be well versed in all aspects of texture.

I have witnessed what a student having a basic understanding of texture can achieve. I have also seen what Not having texture education means. Read more>>

Carmen Banks

When I started college, I was an Animal Science major, fully expecting to go to vet school. Like many students, I assumed that a career in healthcare was the natural path for someone studying life sciences. To strengthen my resume for vet school applications, I volunteered in a poultry nutrition lab—only to realize within a month that I hated working with chickens and that veterinary medicine wasn’t the right fit for me. However, I lacked the guidance to explore alternative careers in science beyond healthcare. As a result, I felt lost and unsure of how to use my degree. Read more>>

Selena Alcantara

If I were to change the education system to prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career, I would make it more hands on, more elective/interest based. I think what we get wrong is trying to force all students into a 1 size fits all type of approach when everyone’s skills, interests, and learning types are different. I also think that we as a whole have forgotten about how important to actually try out, touch, and discover things while learning. I wish that instead of just studying about plants & animals from a book, that we had gotten to experience them more; I wish that kids were allowed to test out things they wanted to do and be encouraged outside just the typical school curriculum. Read more>>