Not so long ago our educational system was the best in the world. No one questioned the numbers. Today (using the same statistical ranking system) we place twenty-sixth out of thirty industrialized nations! Whoa … we rank 26th??
The enormity of technological and social change over the past decade has been mindboggeling; yet, today most of our schools strangely remain the way they were.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW there is a twenty percent loss in knowledge during the summer; today only the most progressive school districts require homework throughout the summer months.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW it is virtually impossible for a student that falls behind a grade level or two to catch-up in the current system; today we continue to promote students with deficiencies.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW most high-school dropouts are headed for a life of despair—drugs, crime, prison, and welfare at the best; today we do nothing to change that cycle.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW most college freshmen must take one or more “remedial” courses in reading, mathematics or writing; today we don’t insist that ALL high-school graduates have these basic competencies.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW universities are known for athletics and “after-hour sporting activities;” today they’ve done nothing to control costs; they’ve simply raised tuition rather than change the way they do business.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW most states have defined “proficiency” well below what is needed for students to succeed in college, carve out a career, or stand on their own two feet; today many resist the Common Core—a states-driven, Republican initiative—designed to dramatically increase the expectations for elementary and secondary youth.
These are real concerns faced by President Janet Stetson and Steve Schilling in Presidential Affair: Love, Lies and Liaisons.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW the story is fictional; today (in the novel) their leadership in passing legislation to reform our schools is real. They have a single goal to make our education number one in the world.
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My Question:
EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW our education ranks number twenty-six in the world, why aren’t we doing anything to massively change the quality of education in America???
Hmm . . . perhaps we need to learn from President Stetson and Dr. Schilling. Check it out. These characters may be fictional, but they clearly share my thoughts about education in America and the changes that need to be made ASAP.