What’s wrong with public education?

Historically public education in the United States has had a positive effect. Most of our population is reasonably literate, and most have at least a basic understanding of simple math, a rough idea of recent history, and some sense of the sciences. This is certainly an improvement from 100-150 years ago, and is largely due to universal free public education.

Having said that, it is pretty clear that our current public school system isn’t up to the task of preparing the next generation for today’s complex and technological world. In America we currently spend about $7000 per student per year, or about a third of a trillion dollars per year on public education, far more than any other nation. Even in terms of per capita spending, only Norway exceeds the United States. Yet in a recent United Nations ranking we are only about twelfth in the world in terms of education. One can quibble about what is the correct measurement, but even without measurements it is clear from the remedial work colleges need to do these days with incoming freshman that our public schools aren’t performing as they should.

I have one grandchild already being home schooled, and another that will be home schooled starting next year. The reason in both cases is the same – the public schools just aren’t good enough (and there are no adequate private schools nearby). Too much time each day is wasted in crowd control. Too much time is wasted in federally mandated testing to measure the school, not help the individual student. Too much time is wasted waiting for “mainstreamed” special needs students to catch up with the class. Too much of the evening is wasted on mindless fill-in-the-blanks homework. Too much time is wasted cramming canned facts rather than really learning. Too much time is wasted on textbooks designed for the lowest common denominator. It’s no wonder so many of our children grow to hate school, and hate learning!

The granddaughter who started home schooling last year is already at least a year ahead of her former classmates in most of her subjects, has far more time left over for other things she loves, like Irish step dancing, reading, violin and piano, and still has more time for simple childhood play than she used to. And she still loves learning. I suspect most children in public school could advance about as fast if the cookie-cutter mass production educational system didn’t hold them back so much.

Of course changing the public school system will be difficult. There are too many vested interests: unions, school boards, the state and Federal educational bureaucracy, and textbook publishers. Nevertheless, as I argued in a post months ago, our very survival as a nation, even as a civilization, depends on the quality of the education we give the next generation. Fixing this situation ought to be a high priority for all of us. Since it clearly isn’t, I expect more and more of the better-educated and better-off people to opt out of the system in the coming years and either home school or send their children to private schools. That will only make the problem worse, of course.