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.
Chad Parkinson
If I could make a small change in the education system it would be to just inform students of potential job opportunities. I remember being in high school only hearing that I had to go to college. But college was the last place I needed to go. No one told me you could make a living on your own or work in a trade and have a job that was satisfying to you and still paid your bills. It was always just college, college, college Read More>>
Dee Holmes
There are two critical things I believe we should be teaching students to prepare them for a more fulfilling life and career: emotional regulation and healthy boundaries. Starting your own business, no matter how small, is a major undertaking if you’re going to become profitable. There are a myriad of decisions to make and, in particular, the need to balance industry pressures with the reality of your production/product. Read More>>
Lynne McEniry
When I was a kid, I loved being in the classroom and learning so much. The parts where the teacher is sharing their knowledge and inviting us to explore how to figure stuff out, reading together to understand people and places and cultures, seeing how all of the subjects had their own uniqueness but also were much more fascinating when we were encouraged to make connections between art and science and history and literature and math and geography. Read More>>
Allen Kopelman
The education system needs to change back to when I was in school.
Provide financial literacy program, and also students need to learn basic skills.
I remember in high school having a class where we got a paycheck and had bills to pay, we learned to write checks, pay bills, what bills we would have as an adult – learned about investing in stocks, savings accounts, filing taxes. Also we had a class that was home econoimics – learned how to operate everything in a house, fix basic things etc.. Read More>>
Adam Fogel
I believe theres too much emphasis on going to university and not enough support for students to explore other options that wont enslave them to a predatory student loan for the rest of their lives. I think there needs to be more emphasis on our community colleges and trades schools. I also wish that I was prepared better in high-school for taxes, basic budgeting and overall citizen participation in my local municipality and politics. Read More>>