Of all of the aspects of American society which have not successfully made a transition into the 21st Century, education tops the list. It continues to be bogged down by a 19-Century structure, and any progressive changes move at a snail’s pace. Our schools are in a state of decay – physically and socially – because they have not been allowed to meet the challenges of this century adequately.
Our youth have been ill-taught, because there has been no commonality from district to district to prepare them for their entry into the real world. Our teachers have been ill-equipped, because innovative teaching methods have been held hostage by self-serving politicians. One will find modernity only in scattered institutions, islands in a sea of rancid water. Consequently, our youth are fit only to serve the needs of capitalism; they become a horde of robots toiling away at meaningless tasks.
This must stop.
The Coddington Agenda recommends the establishment of a year-round learning experience. The school year will consist of four 12-week sessions with a week break between sessions. The first session of the year will begin on the Monday following New Year’s Day. Teachers’ conferences will be scheduled during the breaks so as not to disrupt unduly the learning process. The school day will consist of eight hours (including lunch) to accommodate a robust curriculum. The curriculum will address all of the necessary tools the student will need for entry into our modern society — history, mathematics, physical sciences, biological sciences, social studies, a foreign language of choice, and physical education – all of which will be age-appropriate and non-ideological.
The current system of “grades” (first, second, third, etc.) is an obsolete relic which has served to place students on a virtual “assembly line.” As a result, our youth are “processed” and “graduated” with no guarantee that they have mastered the curriculum. This system must be abolished and replaced by one in which the learning experience is continuous, seamless, and progressive.
The child will be initially enrolled in the session following his/her fifth birthday in order to avoid any differences in physical or mental age. All children will start out on a level playing field, and they will “graduate” with their “peers” on the final session of the 12th year of formal training. If a child has difficulty with any given subject, (s)he will be given extra training during a break week.
The current system of funding schools via property taxes must be abolished and replaced by open-ended grants from general revenues. Each school will submit an annual budget to the funding body based upon need. All schools will close only on Federal holidays and if said holiday falls on a week day. If a student wishes to take off any other day for whatever reason, (s)he must submit a request in writing one week before the desired day; otherwise, (s)he will be counted absent and must make up the loss in training during a break week.
The emphasis should be on innovation in teaching methods in order to make the learning experience more exciting and to reduce absenteeism or “dropping out.” By this means, the education system will have fulfilled its purpose to the maximum. And our youth will be adequately prepared to meet the challenges of the modern world and become full members of society.
Just a thought.