Everyone seems to know how to improve education. And everyone’s right. I’ll give you my take on it.

What public education does well

At the same time, public schools do a lot of things pretty well. The biggest jobs that public schools do is to keep kids safe while they’re growing up. And during that time, they put them in somewhat age-appropriate environments where they can learn and grow. And many schools feed kids, or at least ensure there are social norms that include kids being fed. And many schools protect kids from the worst parents.

Many schools also are pretty great for kids who like to read and learn facts and do puzzles and math. Often schools have special programs for the gifted, so sometimes they do well, too.

Public schools are also pretty good at delivering a variety of educational subjects. They encourage reading and often have a library or encourage library use.

What public education does poorly

The main thing public schools do poorly is customize learning for the students. They:

• Focuses on knowledge and testing, not learning to think and learn,
• It groups kids by grade, rather than by, in each subject, current knowledge and, ability and their learning-mode
• It doesn’t care what kids are interested in
• It grades them, rather than just letting them earn mastery/accomplishment badges
• It often punishes kids far too much for a poor decision

I say that generalizing education for all kids is bad. Similar, judging all public schools is bad. Some are pretty good. A few might be great.

I’d say similarly for teachers, but a bit differently. Most teachers are good or great for certain kinds of students. A few are great with many different kinds of students.

What government does poorly

Government believes that it makes good decisions. When I studied math teaching in 2002-3, good math teaching was illegal in California. Luckily the state standards changed. Unluckily, they didn’t change much. The state standards apply to kids depending on their grade level and have nothing to do with their interest or abilities. While most kids can master simple algebra by 12th grade, schools often start it in 7th or 8th grade.

What parents do poorly

There is NO consistency in parenting. Teachers can neither believe parents nor disbelieve them. Some parents have almost divine knowledge of what it takes to teach their kids well. Some parents think the worst possible things.

Charter schools are not the answer

Having a variety of schools in a district is good. Different methods and school cultures can accommodate some differences in students.

Charter schools are not a great answer, though, because they don’t do significantly better than regular schools. Plus they’re chosen by parents, who sometimes have a clue and often do not. And charter schools tend to have the same kinds of classes and teachers and principals, the same kind of grading and the same kind of testing. Like all schools, some are great and some are lousy. Often their teachers are new and poorly paid.

Plus they accept students usually by lottery, not by kids who fit their curriculum better.

But shouldn’t just the kids that fit that curriculum apply? Yes, but they don’t. Many or most parents and kids know little about “learning style.” Mostly, they just know when they want something better or different. Plus, charter schools favor kids who were there the previous year. So often a kid who doesn’t belong there will stay when they don’t really fit.

A piece of the education solution

If I were to design a solution, for elementary school, I’d loosen up standards and encourage different kinds of classes in each school and let kids pick their classes.

Where standards need to be applied is to teachers. Teachers need to learn about themselves and how they tend to teach and what kinds of ways to teach are possible. We’re learning tons about kids and brains and learning every year, but many teachers don’t keep up to date.

And kids should give teachers more feedback. Partly, this is so teachers get feedback. Mostly, it’s to give kids a world where what they say about their education matters. Plus, it’s to let them practice giving feedback. Kids can be more responsible for their own education if we have an environment that lets them be.

My request

Lots of solutions are possible. Most seem impossible. Let’s make your political world be one where what you think makes a difference. Let’s make a world where you’re actually a responsible member of The People, and The People control government policy. Please put your email address on our announcement list.