Video For Glog

Opinion Editorial

The other portion of my project was an article summing up my ideas. My opinion editorial was sent to the Union Tribune and the New York Times.

Zachary McKay

Resource Management Project

Op-ed Article

1/13/10

In eleventh grade I had the opportunity to intern at a hospital research lab. I learned about all the work done in the lab and how to do the work involved. While at my internship site, I had to learn a completely new set of skills specific to my work. In fact, that semester I learned more at my internship than at school. My anecdote amplifies the fact that the educational system is failing. If it is to be saved, if we hope to see student performance improve, a permanent solution must be implemented.

Schools need a sustainable solution that adapts to the changing culture and students. Blind as they are, the government has ignored the problem at hand. Every politician gives the same speech of fixing schools, and then all they do is rearrange the budget and tell kids to study. The problem at hand is that this has done absolutely nothing. Student performance at age seventeen has not improved for the past four decades according to the “Nation’s Report Card”. The government is treating education like a business. Spending money and replacing teachers is nothing more than white-out. All it does is mask the problem at hand.

According to http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education, President Obama plans to “support new, state-of-the-art assessment and accountability systems that provide timely and useful information about the learning and progress of individual students.” I am curious as to how he plans to track the progress of individual students if the students are all in the same system. I agree that it is a great idea to hold students accountable and reform the schools to focus on critical thinking, like Obama said, but to be blunt, it won’t be a sustainable solution. Obama's speech is nothing new. The "Nation's Report Card" shows that encouraging students to study has not worked. It would if students were all robots that learned at the same rate and in the same ways.

B.W. James research confirms people have different learning styles. For example, some people are auditory learners, others are visual learners. Unfortunately it is hard to teach to all these types of learners in the same lesson. Tactile learners remember what has been done, on the contrary, auditory learners remember best when they are spoken to directly. It’s not the teachers’ fault that their students learn differently, nor is there anything they can do to improve the situation. Teachers cannot guarantee that their lessons will touch every student in the same way or with the same impact. The blame falls to the institution, the public school system. The system has been growing worse ever since the school districts were compacted in the 1940’s. In 1940 there were over 117,000 school districts, and by 1990, there were just above 15,000. In order to make their jobs easier, the politicians simplified the system, by condensing it like they would a franchise.

The whole idea of public schools is absurd. The concept took shape after the Civil War. The plan was to make education available to all children regardless of financial income. Education should be available to everyone, but by making it public, the government can take control and completely ruin the system. The government has mismanaged education in the public school system. Public schools force students to conform to the curriculum and standards set by politicians. I am not saying that public schools should be abolished; I am simply saying that they need to be reformed.

I propose a system that has been working all across Europe for years. I propose an apprenticeship system be implemented. Not internships, or paid apprenticeships, but honest apprenticeships where students learn every aspect of a career and how to perform every task involved. I am suggesting that a system similar to the Realschule option of Germany’s system be used. At age sixteen, give students the choice to take on an apprenticeship, if they desire one. Students would still attend classes, but the focus would be on the work at the apprenticeship. Students would have input in their education. They would choose an apprenticeship and learn everything about the job.

This type of system would improve the educational system, as well as provide jobs to students. In Germany, over half of employers hire their apprentices after the completion of the apprentice program. This is because they have trained employees who are masters of the trade and can start work immediately and do the work proficiently without much instruction. Now certain careers still require a level of schooling, i.e. doctor or lawyer.

Not only would students and businesses benefit from apprenticeships, but the cost of implementing it would be nearly nothing. Teachers do not need to be hired. The work is on site so buildings do not need to be rented. The only work to be done is to find employers who would be willing to train students for three-four years. Apprenticeships would boost the economy by providing jobs instead of taking them away, and by strengthening companies with masters of trade.

Apprenticeships provide students with a personal experience they need to learn. Apprenticeship is an excellent option for students who are not college-bound or have a career picked out.

John Holt declares, “What this all boils down to is, are we trying to raise sheep-timid, docile, easily driven or led-or free men? If what we want is sheep, our schools are perfect as they are. If what we want is free men, we’d better start making some big changes.”

Petition

To raise awareness of my issue I wrote a petition to be sent with my letter. My petition can be read at: http://www.petitiononline.com/appsnow/

Letter to Elected Official

For our Resource Management Project, we had to write a letter to a politician explaining the problem and our proposed solution.

The Honorable Duncan Hunter

1429 Longworth House Office Building

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Hunter:

I am a citizen of California's 52nd District who is concerned about how the government treats education. I was appalled to discover that the same money spending method has been used for the past thirty years, even though they have been ineffective. After checking the Nation’s Report Card on the Department of Education’s website, <http://nationsreportcard.gov/ltt_2008/>, I discovered that student performance at age seventeen has not improved, despite the increased standardized testing that was implemented in 1983. Students learn in several different ways and respond differently. For example, some students are kinesthetic learners and need several breaks. When education is individualized, students retain more information. Encouraging students to work harder and focusing curriculum on critical thinking skills, as the President has done, will not solve the problem indefinitely. I would like to bring to your attention that educational reform must be more radical if any change is to be documented.

There are alternative forms of secondary education that the United States can use to improve its system. Each student is an individual and learns in a unique way. The problem began in the 1940s when in order to simplify the system, several school districts (over 117,000) were compacted into a more general structure (just over 15,000 as of 1990). The trouble with generalized curriculum is that it forces students to conform to learning according to the techniques prescribed by the government, which unfortunately cannot be involved on the necessary level that a parent knows their child. Students need to be able to connect with teachers on a personal level. However, such teachers are rare in schools.

My proposed solution is to institute a system that gives students the individual attention they need, an apprenticeship program. The European Union is aiming for a universal apprentice system in their countries. I am suggesting a system similar to the Realschule plan in Germany. Students continue in their studies but take on an apprenticeship at age sixteen. Apprenticeships allow students to experience a work environment hands-on and learn all the tasks involved with a career. Also, in Germany about one half of employers hire apprentices after the apprenticeship ends. Apprenticeships benefit business, as well, because the employers train their employees from start to end, thus creating the most efficient work force. My plan is to start on a local level and expand. I propose two or three apprenticeship universities instituted in the district, give priority to drop-outs or those looking for immediate work. Then chart the progress of the students in their careers over five years. If they are successful, open up more universities nation-wide. This will cost money to pay administrators yearly salaries; however, because students will be working on site, there are no teachers to pay. Volunteer mentors must be found. I need you to be my voice to the other members of Congress. As my Representative, I need you to bring my proposal before the House Committee on Education. Thank you for taking the time to read my proposal.

Sincerely,
Zachary McKay
9149 Berkview Lane Spring Valley, CA 91977
zmckay@hightechhigh.org