so if we could change education....

[meemee]

.... what would it look like to you?

http://www.wimp.com/educationparadigms/

what would you expect out of schools? k -12.

what changes would you like to see?

what teacher involvement do you want to see?

how do you think the day should be structured?

do we need 5 days a week school?

what are the changes you would make?

or should we structure this discussion to elementary school and then middle and high schools?

do we even have to have different schools for elem and middle and high schools?

cant a school not go from k thru 12.

is this too big a discussion to have casually?

what things are important to you and stand out for you?

what would you call an education?

[lauren]

I'll take a quick jab at this (then running to put more kids to bed!)

Class size would be no more than 15. Teachers would be passionate about teaching kids--it would never be just a job for them. There would be lots of thematic units with cross disciplinary instruction. There would be mostly experiential learning-- labs, outdoor learning, art. Kids would each be screened for learning style --it wouldn't be a big deal requiring an IEP to figure out something like how a child prefers to learn. Kids of all ages could do independent study units if something appealed to them.

I have more to say, but will need to continue later.

[Lisa1970]

I would lower the spending. I would track students. I would not allow illegal activity, which includes people who are in this country illegally to enroll. Our system is already overloaded without trying to use the education budget for foreign aid. I would have a CPS style watch dog organization so that when a child is abused at the school, has special needs, sexually harassed, etc, someone can step in immediately and help instead of taking years in a civil lawsuit paid for by the parents of the mistreated child. I would defund sports programs. I would make detention center style schools for those kids who break laws in the regular schools. I would lower the mandatory attendance ages to allow kids to drop out who want to. Not everyone needs to take British Lit to function in society. I would provide career technical training. So a 16 yr old who really wants to be a hair cutting person for a living could get a license in that, rather than take British Lit or PreCal. No wonder we have high drop out rates! I would stop the states from micromanaging the schools. I would drop NCLB. I would let the teachers teach. I would give much better health insurance to the teachers. I would shorten the school day and add in mandatory recesses. I am talking 2 in the lower grades for sure and 1 in the upper grades.

[Lisa1970]

I would also have all learning prior to 7th grade to be individualized and have the kids enter the higher grade levels when they are ready rather than when they hit a certain age. I would make most class rooms multi-aged. It would not be like today where all 3rd graders learn plants and all 4th graders learn solar system, therefore, the grades cannot possibly mix because 3rd graders cannot be allowed to learn solar system and 4th graders cannot be allowed to learn plants.

I would up the arts. I would offer arts at every level and require a broad range of it at all ages. I would require outside time. Wouldn't it be great if all schools could have gardens and such?

[cyberfish]

At the risk of sounding like a way out there nut....

I would drop compulsory attendance laws and substitute compulsory education laws. In other words, a literate and educated populace should have a certain body of knowledge. I don't think everyone is going to get that by attending school for the mandatory 180 days or whatever per year for x number of years or else have the truancy police out after them.

I'd get rid of NCLB in the US also. It's been horrible since it was implemented.

I'm all for letting teachers teach. Reducing class size would allow teachers to teach and it would allow them to work more individually with students. So if a student has mastered a topic, she/he can move on rather than keep doing it over and over in the interest of keeping the whole class on target at the same level. Remedial students would get the help they need.

I'd get rid of grade levels. I'd change the grading system. I'd get rid of a lot of worksheets and require teachers to have an inquiry-based classroom.

[madskye]

My DD is in kindergarten, so I don't know too much about the system but at this point my dream would be...

-more project based, synthesized education. Math and language playing into creative projects and artwork--not rote learning.

-more nature-based education

-emphasizing problem solving skills

[straighthaircurly]

No more NCLB and all this stupid AYP junk where schools are punished if they don't meet their goals. They should receive more help rather than having things taken away.

Testing should be more focused on whether individual students are reaching their potential not just wheether they meet the minimum requirements.

More gifted funding and programming

No more than 15 kids per teacher. More use of parent volunteers to help individual students as they need.

More open ended projects that can be used as learning moments for the basics as the students need. More time outside in nature.

Principals who trust teachers to know what their students need to be able to learn. High standards for teachers, evaluation/feedback systems to objectively weed out failing teachers.

Equality of opportunity in all school districts (remove the disparity between rich and poor school districts).

Schools that have zero tolerance for bullying and who integrate social-emotional development into the curriculum (my son's school does a great job of this).

[karne]

This is small compared to what others have written about, but my wish would be to have curriculums and school environments that are "boy friendly". This is probably generalized to a certain type of learning, but now that I have a boy in elem school I can appreciate that it's not the easiest environment, even with a great school and teachers (which we have!). I think that this would involve more project based, or inquiry based learning, lots of movement, classroom libraries full of books boys like to read............

[wholewheatchick]

Smaller class size and smalller school size (15 students per class, max); I think K - 8 or 9 is a great idea for schools; but (ideally) the specialized laboratory equipment needed for high school would necessitate a 9 - 12 or 10 - 12 school

Recess and PE for all grade levels, K - 12

I think that state-wide end of year testing CAN be a good thing, IF it is simply used to kind of see how things are going on a general basis; tying the results to funding and whether a teacher is fired or not: NO

Taking the pressure of tests would then allow for more creative assessment and learning, as well as integrating art and music into the classrooms

Increase amount of spending on education, but distribute this more equally among all schools in the state

Part of this would go to increased teacher salaries, healthy school lunches, and better facilities...how are kids, esp. high schoolers, supposed to think that we care about their education when the building is falling down around their ears, their teachers are barely scraping by, and their cafeteria food is horrendous? Yet the laws demand that they be in this place?

Get rid of advanced placement classes and tests; continue to offer honors classes in high school, but take away how that is tied to college credit and instead offer early graduation