America's Schools in the World
To be considered the most powerful industrial nation and economy in the modern world and simultaneously have K-12 public education that lags behind many of the world's smaller economies describes perhaps the most sobering reality about American public schooling. Our efforts to ensure economic dominance globally have not been replicated when it comes to elementary and secondary education. Indeed, there was a time not many years ago when our school systems functioned at a higher level and America's students and schools were largely viewed as some of the best in the world and were envied by many. While we have not totally lost our academic competitiveness, we have allowed a gradual but massive decline in the academic readiness of far too many students. Our timing and lack of foresight could not have been worse considering that we live in a time where it is most critical for our youth to exhibit new forms of knowledge, competence, and intelligence cross-culturally and across disciplines. Our seeming inability and unwillingness to produce world class public schools will be the quickest route to academic and economic obscurity unless we figure out our education quagmire soon. Our international prominence and influence are not only tied to our economic and national security strengths, but are also inextricably linked to our capacity to achieve academic excellence in our elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools.
The engagement of governments in the financing of schools, curriculum components, teacher quality, and comparative test scores provide the best insight into some of the glaring differences across continents. The fact that some national governments finance public education more equitably regardless of local jurisdictions is noble, especially when one considers the financial challenges confronting many state governments in this country. Although many argue against any type of nationalization of public goods, it is commendable that certain nations have been able to achieve student academic excellence by committing national government resources toward the education of every child. Without forfeiting states' rights and not creating a new massive federal bureaucracy, we have got to figure out a way to deliver effective public education to every child in this country. Alliances across federal, state, and local levels of government must be employed to provide a framework for new and creative cost and resource sharing. A lesson learned from smaller nations whose students rank higher than American students is that many of our solutions do not require greater financial commitments, but a more efficient use of funding already made available. It has been convenient for some to continue the lame argument that more dollars are needed; however, the success of school systems in smaller European nations debunks this myth. Other countries have simply made the hard and unpopular decisions with respect to teacher training and curriculum development, to name a few. They seem to have adapted their teaching and learning methodologies and paradigms to the realities and demands of the 21st century more expeditiously than American educators.
It seems apparent that school age youth outside of the U.S. are given access to broader curriculums and a deeper set of knowledge areas that engage and challenge them to a higher degree of competence and intelligence. Their learning processes seem less rote and more adaptive to contexts and variation. Unfortunately, we have not instituted the kinds of curriculum reforms that would accommodate and expand student learning to new heights. Our goal needs to be the integration of new era knowledge requirements into classroom formats that are less restrictive and not constrained by the contents of standardized tests. It almost feels as if educators are fearful of losing control of how students learn. Teachers and administrators need to show more courage by exercising their rights and responsibilities to provide the tools and resources necessary for students to engage their intellects and gifts in unimaginable ways. The hidden geniuses inside our youth need to be released as the flow of knowledge and information has become so much more unconventional. The shifting educational paradigm warrants more organic processes which allow for increased exploration and discovery in varying contexts. The greatest challenge to this is the temptation to overemphasize the role of testing in American K-12 education. The ultimate test is how well educators and others respond to the shifting academic needs of young people whose lives are being shaped by global realities unlike any in recent history.
The engagement of governments in the financing of schools, curriculum components, teacher quality, and comparative test scores provide the best insight into some of the glaring differences across continents. The fact that some national governments finance public education more equitably regardless of local jurisdictions is noble, especially when one considers the financial challenges confronting many state governments in this country. Although many argue against any type of nationalization of public goods, it is commendable that certain nations have been able to achieve student academic excellence by committing national government resources toward the education of every child. Without forfeiting states' rights and not creating a new massive federal bureaucracy, we have got to figure out a way to deliver effective public education to every child in this country. Alliances across federal, state, and local levels of government must be employed to provide a framework for new and creative cost and resource sharing. A lesson learned from smaller nations whose students rank higher than American students is that many of our solutions do not require greater financial commitments, but a more efficient use of funding already made available. It has been convenient for some to continue the lame argument that more dollars are needed; however, the success of school systems in smaller European nations debunks this myth. Other countries have simply made the hard and unpopular decisions with respect to teacher training and curriculum development, to name a few. They seem to have adapted their teaching and learning methodologies and paradigms to the realities and demands of the 21st century more expeditiously than American educators.
It seems apparent that school age youth outside of the U.S. are given access to broader curriculums and a deeper set of knowledge areas that engage and challenge them to a higher degree of competence and intelligence. Their learning processes seem less rote and more adaptive to contexts and variation. Unfortunately, we have not instituted the kinds of curriculum reforms that would accommodate and expand student learning to new heights. Our goal needs to be the integration of new era knowledge requirements into classroom formats that are less restrictive and not constrained by the contents of standardized tests. It almost feels as if educators are fearful of losing control of how students learn. Teachers and administrators need to show more courage by exercising their rights and responsibilities to provide the tools and resources necessary for students to engage their intellects and gifts in unimaginable ways. The hidden geniuses inside our youth need to be released as the flow of knowledge and information has become so much more unconventional. The shifting educational paradigm warrants more organic processes which allow for increased exploration and discovery in varying contexts. The greatest challenge to this is the temptation to overemphasize the role of testing in American K-12 education. The ultimate test is how well educators and others respond to the shifting academic needs of young people whose lives are being shaped by global realities unlike any in recent history.
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