Education. Something's wrong. President Clinton knows it. The Democrats know it. So do the Republicans. To be fair, they are trying. Government alone can not fix this mess. Since I began working on this project, I have had to debate "education" with both curious professors and journalists alike. And what it took to wake them up! The tenure based system isn't equipped with alarm clocks. We've installed one. Many in the academic world condemn this venture. In one aspect School Sucks has already succeeded -- it is forcing educators, parents and students to take a long, hard look at our education system. They don't like what they see. Many professors have told us the "papers there suck." These papers, in fact, are a mirror of the results of their work. The solution will not be pretty. While it may be tempting to sit and judge, even the politicians are working together on this one. The status quo is clearly failing us. Here's what I believe needs to happen.
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Our colleges and universities are getting the students at "less than zero." The US high school system is so erratic (some are ready, some are not) that the universities are forced to waste 60 credits (two years) playing catch-up. Our high school system is the joke of the West. Those responsible need to wake up. We're way behind. We typically gear our youth towards either a four year degree or nothing. This needs to stop. Our economy needs young people with technical training in this Age of Information. Two year "Hi-Tech" schools will give them marketable skills. The status quo offers them only a diploma and for those who go on, the first half of their college education on the three R's. |
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At age 18, American teens are not ready for college. We seem to have a blind eye to this. That is why at many universities the average student takes over five years to graduate. In Europe this takes three years. There is nothing wrong with a national service. Besides paying taxes and doing jury duty (if you are registered to vote), where else do we give? Although the Cold War is over, many of our allies wisely continued their national service programs. We don't need soldiers. We need our youth to work with the elderly, the handicapped. They can help in our hospitals and even run youth clubs in our inner-cities. Is 12 months too much to ask for? It may be too little. Two years is probably most appropriate. We may even end up with a bit of character along the way. "It'll slow down my child's future" and "the prohibitive cost" are excuses for doing nothing. |
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Instead of hiring a small team of professors to run an academic department, in the United States you usually get a smaller team of professors and a larger team of lecturers. What percent of our professors has earned even a minor in education? Not enough. We need educators educating our students. This should be a minimal requirement for teaching at the university level. We will end up with a smaller group of lecturers (a small team = all members are working fulltime) who are trained in the field they are teaching and in teaching. |