Public vs. Private School Education

Over the past year, we've heard both political candidates talk about many domestic and international issues, inluding the economy, iraq, oil drilling, and healthcare. However, one important topic that doesn't get enough national attention is the need to improve our public education system.

It's peculiar that we don't hear more about education reform. We're constantly fed the same line about how U.S students constantly rank in the lowest amongst OECD (developed) nations. As other countries get stronger in math and science, the U.S gets relatively weaker. This trend is especially disconcerting with the ever increasing thirst for technological innovation in the world economy. As more jobs are created in this industry, I expect to see a relative decline in U.S emplyment. In New York and California, many Indian and Chinese communities have burgeoned because U.S companies desire the skills that Indiana and Chinese schools teach. With the increase in talent import in addition to increased offshoring, there will be less jobs for Americans.

Now that Obama is going to be taking in a mere 16 days, I have one question: What will he do to improve education? He's selected a moderate Secretary of Education, one that has yielded positive results in Chicago, but still not willing to end teacher tenure. Perhaps a model such as Washington D.C's superintendent Rhee has implemented, where she has shaken things up by firing 70 teachers in the last year alone?

Not only do we need to hold teachers accountable for their actions, but we also need to lengthen the school year. With Germany and Japan each having more than 240 days in their school year, it seems futile to hope that American students will be able to learn the same amount of information in 25% less time (180 school year).

It seems that a root cause of the problems in America's education system is that it is based on antediluvian laws that have no applicability in today's society. The 180 day school year was established to coincide with the Agrarian calendar, so that kids could stay at home and help tend to the crop during the summer months. Teacher tenure was established towards the end of World War 2 when there was a dire need to recruit teachers and employ more people as the soldiers were returning. These regimes need to be updated to match the current state of our economy. Teacher tenure should be reduced, as the market for teachers should become more competitive and pay should be based upon results. In addition, the school calendar needs to be expanded. This will provide students more time to learn school materials, more interaction with children, and will reduce the burden on parents to watch their kids during the summer.

While our rankings are poor, the good news is that yankee ingenuity is prevailing. Charter schools are popping up all around the nation, employing innovative models to raise students' performance. From longer school years, dress codes, and market-driven incentives for high caliber teachers, students in these schools seem to be performing well. In addition, changes to administration such as Michelle Rhee and Arne Duncan give us hope that the players at the top are working hard to better our education system.

The state of education today will drive our nation tomorrow, and I look forward to the improvements ahead.