"We cannot have a superior democracy with inferior education.”
–Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark
Education affects society on almost every level. It can easily be said that the quality of education determines the quality of the society. There are personal, social, and economic costs of poor education.
Personal-
Imagine being 18 years old and not having a good education. You are probably feeling overwhelmed, not prepared for the challenges life is presenting you, and confused about what to do next. You will probably spend the next few years making mistakes, and a few years after that making up for them.
Contrast that to a properly educated graduate who feels capable and competent, knows their options and how to evaluate them, and can make a reasoned decision about what course they will pursue. They are already on a meaningful path, and while everyone makes mistakes, their course is generally upward from the beginning.
What will the next few years be like for the poorly educated student or drop-out? How will this set them up for the rest of their life? Now think about the properly educated person who has "hit the ground running" and is already pursuing a course of action that will serve them well, now and in the future. This is the difference a quality education makes to the individual. A good education has been shown to improve a person's life in every area that has been studied - financial, emotional and health.
Now consider the difference it makes in a person's life when they are doing work they like and are good at. They are happier, more productive, and more fulfilled. This is only possible when you have learned what it is you like doing, what your particular talents, abilities and interests are. Only by knowing these things can you decide what you will be happiest doing. This was, and should be, one of the main purposes of education. The Latin root word - educare - actually means "to bring out."
Social-
The results of our poor educational system are all around us. From the clerk at the register who can't make change, to the sales and service people who can't explain their products, much less help you decide which one is best for your needs. From people taking out loans they can't pay back for houses they can't afford, to people playing games with those loans that cause wholesale banking failures- proving that even the "highly" educated aren't necessarily properly educated. From the people we vote into public office, to the scandalous things they do once there. Poor performance and bad decisions can both be laid at the feet of poor education and their consequences can be felt in every area of our lives.
We all live with the results of poor education every day. Things that cost more than they should, service that isn't as good as it should be, and who knows what products and businesses never see the light of day because their inventor or founder didn't receive the necessary education to bring them to market. Imagine if everyone (or at least a significantly greater percentage of people) got a proper education - if they were taught critical thinking skills, how to find and evaluate an opportunity, how to make rational decisions and how to set and achieve goals- how would society benefit? It's pretty easy to see that if more people make better decisions the world becomes a better place. Also, if more people within a society are happy and doing work that fulfills them, you have a happier society.
Economic-
It is estimated that every high school dropout costs us as a nation about $300,000 over their lifetime. And yet we are currently producing about 1-1.5 million dropouts per year - and have been for quite a while. Yes, that's $450 billion a year! Dropouts, and the under educated, are also vastly more likely to be in prison or on assistance programs.
Well educated people earn more and spend more, thus supporting a healthy economy that, in turn, supports them. They contribute to the nation's wealth instead of drawing from it.
While these are fairly simplistic examples, I believe they illustrate the point that society is a product of education. When you combine these examples with the fact that the U.S. educational system has fallen into the mid-20s ranked against other developed nations in reading and math, it paints a pretty dim picture. We led the way into the Industrial Age, and into the Information Age, but we are sadly trailing into the Age of Education. We believe education can and should be the next area the United States leads the world in.
Our school system was designed in the 1950s. Today, that model simply does not work. It is ineffective and a breeding ground for failure in today’s modern world. Fixing the system cannot be just about getting rid of bad teachers or curtailing union influence. These are only band-aids and attempts at repairing the current system which is obsolete. The resources exist to develop a really effective education program, we just need to do it!
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein
Personal-
Imagine being 18 years old and not having a good education. You are probably feeling overwhelmed, not prepared for the challenges life is presenting you, and confused about what to do next. You will probably spend the next few years making mistakes, and a few years after that making up for them.
Contrast that to a properly educated graduate who feels capable and competent, knows their options and how to evaluate them, and can make a reasoned decision about what course they will pursue. They are already on a meaningful path, and while everyone makes mistakes, their course is generally upward from the beginning.
What will the next few years be like for the poorly educated student or drop-out? How will this set them up for the rest of their life? Now think about the properly educated person who has "hit the ground running" and is already pursuing a course of action that will serve them well, now and in the future. This is the difference a quality education makes to the individual. A good education has been shown to improve a person's life in every area that has been studied - financial, emotional and health.
Now consider the difference it makes in a person's life when they are doing work they like and are good at. They are happier, more productive, and more fulfilled. This is only possible when you have learned what it is you like doing, what your particular talents, abilities and interests are. Only by knowing these things can you decide what you will be happiest doing. This was, and should be, one of the main purposes of education. The Latin root word - educare - actually means "to bring out."
Social-
The results of our poor educational system are all around us. From the clerk at the register who can't make change, to the sales and service people who can't explain their products, much less help you decide which one is best for your needs. From people taking out loans they can't pay back for houses they can't afford, to people playing games with those loans that cause wholesale banking failures- proving that even the "highly" educated aren't necessarily properly educated. From the people we vote into public office, to the scandalous things they do once there. Poor performance and bad decisions can both be laid at the feet of poor education and their consequences can be felt in every area of our lives.
We all live with the results of poor education every day. Things that cost more than they should, service that isn't as good as it should be, and who knows what products and businesses never see the light of day because their inventor or founder didn't receive the necessary education to bring them to market. Imagine if everyone (or at least a significantly greater percentage of people) got a proper education - if they were taught critical thinking skills, how to find and evaluate an opportunity, how to make rational decisions and how to set and achieve goals- how would society benefit? It's pretty easy to see that if more people make better decisions the world becomes a better place. Also, if more people within a society are happy and doing work that fulfills them, you have a happier society.
Economic-
It is estimated that every high school dropout costs us as a nation about $300,000 over their lifetime. And yet we are currently producing about 1-1.5 million dropouts per year - and have been for quite a while. Yes, that's $450 billion a year! Dropouts, and the under educated, are also vastly more likely to be in prison or on assistance programs.
Well educated people earn more and spend more, thus supporting a healthy economy that, in turn, supports them. They contribute to the nation's wealth instead of drawing from it.
While these are fairly simplistic examples, I believe they illustrate the point that society is a product of education. When you combine these examples with the fact that the U.S. educational system has fallen into the mid-20s ranked against other developed nations in reading and math, it paints a pretty dim picture. We led the way into the Industrial Age, and into the Information Age, but we are sadly trailing into the Age of Education. We believe education can and should be the next area the United States leads the world in.
Our school system was designed in the 1950s. Today, that model simply does not work. It is ineffective and a breeding ground for failure in today’s modern world. Fixing the system cannot be just about getting rid of bad teachers or curtailing union influence. These are only band-aids and attempts at repairing the current system which is obsolete. The resources exist to develop a really effective education program, we just need to do it!
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein