24 May
Essential Education and Our Broken Public School System
Essential Education is dedicated to fixing what is broken in our public school system.
- Unqualified or under-qualified teachers
- Inadequate classroom supplies and materials
- Lack of student interest and enthusiasm
- Mismanagement of funds
- Poor administrative organization
- Curricula that is confusing, disorganized and filled with abstract and vague goals.
- Too much emphasis put on standardized tests
- Poorly maintained buildings
- Scarcity of special personnel such as nurses and counselors
- Not enough communication with parents, especially in higher grades
- Lack of respect and trust shown towards students
- Lack of authentic learning
The average child starts school at four or five excited and enthusiastic about going to school. Only five or six years later, kids begin to dislike school and try to avoid it. The majority of middle and high school students see school as something to endure, something to put up with until graduation. In short, American youth is not excited about education. Essential Education is working to change this by starting over and rebuilding the public school system so that it will work for the best of the students and consequently for the country.
Our Action Plan:
- Clearly-defined national curriculum that would be the same for all states
- A less institutionalized environment in public schools
- More authentic learning in public schools
- Partnerships with parents – more parent involvement
- Learning geared with different learning styles in mind
- More hands-on active learning
- More frequent field trips
- Tougher standards for teachers – each should be specialized in subject being taught
- Better financial management – accountable to the public
- Better transparency of actions of educational administration
