Obama's challenge to Arne Duncan, our Education Secretary was this: “We cannot continue on like this,” Obama said. “It is morally unacceptable for our children – and economically untenable for America. We need a new vision for a 21st century education system . . .” (www.education.com) It’s hard for me to believe Duncan's recent suggestion that schools to be “open six days a week, at least 11 months a year, to improve student performance” (Boulder Daily Camera, April 8, 2009) could be any part of forward-looking educational reform. The number of hours our children spend in school has nothing to do with the education problems in this country. Have we learned nothing from No Child Left Behind? It is not cramming more facts into our children’s heads that will lead us to success. It is not forcing them to take more tests or spend more hours sitting still and listening that will help them get ahead.
The problem with our educational system is far more fundamental than that. Our education system is based on 19th century thinking, not 21st century. We are no longer training the masses for work during the Industrial Revolution. We cannot hope to prepare ourselves or our children for the future if we cling to this outdated mode of thinking. Reform is not what we need. We need, as Obama said, a totally new vision.
Listen to what Sir Ken Robinson has to say about education and creativity:
No comments:
Post a Comment