Core Education Programs

I've been thinking about this recently. One of my coworkers has sacrificed for years to ensure her daughter could attend private schools. It has really paid off well. In our discussion we chatted about core programs in education. She noticed the one thing that the private schools had that public schools don't is a good core curriculum. It was mentioned a bit in my last post regarding progressive education.

I think their are a couple reasons why the private schools are so much more successful than the public schools. I would say free schools, but public schools don't come cheap to the taxpayer.

1. Private schools can get rid of teachers that don't teach or don't measure up. They can reward those that do well based on merit. This is something that the education unions have killed in the public schools.

2. Parents are paying and have a choice. The schools know that the parents will vote with their feet if the programs don't measure up. When The Washington Post asked George Parker, head of the Washington, D.C., teachers union, about the voucher program there, he said: "Parents are voting with their feet. ... As kids continue leaving the system, we will lose teachers. Our very survival depends on having kids in D.C. schools so we'll have teachers to represent."

John Stossel wrote a good piece on the above two things recently.

3. I believe that the charter and private schools are successful because they not only have the ability to form their own programs and curriculum, but they have a core curriculum. They teach things like US History, The Constitution, Government, and concentrate on the three R's as well as science.

By having a core curriculum that EVERY student has to pass, it ensures that students have the base knowledge necessary to make decisions. In instructing the kids, they aren't being taught what to think, they are being taught how to think. They then use those skills to evaluate what is out there in the world and form their own opinions.

My homework assignment for my readers in blogo land today is, what types of courses would you include in your core curriculum? If you were to set up your own charter school, what kinds of courses would you want EVERY student to take and be competent in?

The public school system is dumbing down a lot of our kids, teaching them "what" to think instead of "how" to think. It is failing the very communities it is supposedly supposed to be lifting up. Join the discussion and lets get involved to help future generations get an education that will serve them well through life and will serve to protect the future of our great nation.

Remember to keep yourself informed, and don't be afraid to speak out.