tbd
Education is a core cause for the US and its people:
It causes greater productivity and can create value.
Potentially a core factor in developing character and sound values, which in turn
add to productivity and also to health and psychological well-being
Present condition: Declining, declined, mostly warehousing kids.
Current inhibitors of progress: The politicians supporting the current system
The teachers' unions, keeping personal protection
above the interest of the children
Successful strategies blocked from greater use: Charter schools; copying the most
successful models
Major leap forward: Using central resources to develop teaching programs that can be perfected and then leveraged on the internet and with computers - would be used for testing and for interaction with learning programs, plus some centralized values and character training.
Means of bringing about the major leap: Major investment by charitable
resources such as the Gates foundation or other large private contributors (even
Zuckerberg), without bureaucracy, bias, or resistance, and run on a business like
effectiveness basis.
Funding: Education through high school would be provided by government funding
plus some cost to parents where feasible (even for K thru 12).
Beyond high school, all can get access, with loans filling the hole, paid
back at the rate of 10% of yearly earnings; also secured by
parents' estate.
Use facilities more effectively - Use facilities 12 months a year, reducing facilities costs about 25%. Given other needs, the facilities should be used as community centers and education facilities for tutoring and/or extra learning, 12-13 hours, six days a week.
DISCUSSION
Education is not an entitlement per se, but it is a necessary element for prosperity and benefit to all the stakeholders (citizens and legal non-citizen residents). As such, it will be provided all the way to the college graduate level and for graduate education that is approved. The cost beyond high school of such educations shall be paid by the government only to the degree that it cannot be afforded by the parents or students, based on the capability to pay, though a means of providing for exceptional circumstances would be provided. The entire cost of the college education would be accumulated in an account for each student and would be paid back at the rate of 10% of yearly earnings.
GREAT EXAMPLES
Hobart Shakespeareans - Incredibly developing 5th graders, in a way that will forever change these students' lives. Great skill building, but more importantly great character building. See the documentary by POV on PBS; available also on Netflix.com - inspiring.
Notes: We have been complacent.
High school not preparing well enough.
Without competitive education we will not be able to compete economically..
Student performance in other countries are gaining faster, and we go downhill over time.
Nutrition education is in the interest of the country – required.
