One-track education thinking doesn’t work well for all

Today’s dogma is that we must set higher educational standards to prepare all kids for college. But what about those who are less interested in academia and more oriented toward getting a good job and contributing to society that way?

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Is there a better way to run our schools ? Maybe, maybe not. There are, however, different approaches which we could spend more time studying. Japan, China, India, France, England, and Germany all have educational systems very different than ours. Other nations don’t discourage university education, in fact their governments often subsidize it. But they also support and encourage a wide range of technical-training programs that lead directly to productive jobs.

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Wouldn’t it be amusing if running for public office required that candidates to take and pass the test for U.S. citizenship along with the 10th grade state achievement tests given to our kids? If paying teachers based on the test scores of their students is a valid way to measure their performance, then let’s apply the same principles to our politicians and educational reformers. It’s only fair, isn’t it?

By Kent Kammerer

Full Story: http://crosscut.com/2010/12/06/education/20415/One-track-education-thinking-doesn-t-work-well-for-all/