The key to school reform

Yesterday I shared a link about how we discount a huge component of Finland’s education system—equality over excellence—that may make it one of the most effective systems in the world. This news is old, but it does remain relevant.

The key to school reform in the United States is a huge point of debate, and a lot of unschoolers I know say to just dismantle the system altogether. I see their point; when you read about how our schools were developed to create uniform, obedient workers based on the Prussian school system in books like The Underground History of Education, it tends to leave you rather bitter about the entire system.

That said, I don’t think schools are about to be abolished in our lifetime, and I’m all about improving them as much as any other social construct that requires constant betterment. If I were to improve schools, I’d make them optional places of attendance where students get to choose which classes they want to take based on their interests and goals.

They’d be much more family-oriented, perhaps with more flexible hours and more parental involvement. Instead of Mrs. Brown telling Mr. and Mrs. Smith that little Jimmy needs meds, little Jimmy’s parents and Jimmy himself would be the prime authorities in his life and trusted to know what’s best for him. We are so hung up on what “experts” tell us that we have become disassociated with our natural parenting instincts, and I think returning to being actual families is a huge step in the right direction.

Of course, this is my opinion. What about yours? If you were put in charge of “fixing” or changing or otherwise reforming public education, how would you go about it?

Photo of Central Finland courtesy of Wikipedia