Educate Not Evaluate!

At least here in Florida the education system is more concerned with standardized testing, that grades schools rather than students. Lately, we have as a society have missed the boat when it comes to education. Many Teachers have for the most part, been more tuned to prepping students for taking the standardized tests than teaching them anything, and not without cause. The school systems have been forced to implement standardized testing to generate a yardstick on how schools are performing. These results will have no impact on the student's grades. You want a true yardstick of how well the students are performing as well as the school itself? 1) Make standardized tests that judge, weather the student passes the class. 2) Utilize those scores to determine how well the school was able to perform. 3) The subject matter on the tests must reflect the class the student took. 4) Your required courses only, will determine if the students passes or fails the class, these core classes (English, Math, History, and Physical Education and 1 year of political awareness to be taken during their senior year) are required to advance to the next year. All other classes are elective and not required to advance to the next year but, would count towards overall grade point average. Physical Education would be required of all grades, students participating in Sports type extra curricular activities would satisfy this requirement. However, only participation would be required to pass, not proficiency. Electives would be up to the students and their parents. Students wishing to attend college (after their 2 years national service {see an earlier post "Dropouts, Voters, and Voluntary Conscription"}) would be required to have a minimum of 3 years foreign language added to their last 3 years of core classes. Students wishing to enter a trade would have their core classes the first 4 classes of the day and then attend an Apprenticeship program for the remaining school day. Schools would last a minimum of 220 days each year, the four grading periods would be 55 school days or 11 weeks leaving the students 8 weeks off each year.

Dropouts, Voters, and Voluntary Conscription

One of the largest problems facing America today is the dropout rate, how do we keep our youth in school for the full term? My solution would be Voluntary Conscription. What is this you ask? It would be the option for Our youth to enter into National Service. National Service would not be limited to Military Service, it would include Public Safety (Police, Fire and Rescue), Health Services (to be inclusive of Working in Hospitals, clinics, assisting in child care, senior care and Doctors offices), Conservation Corps (National Parks and Wilderness management areas), and any other field which could be considered in the public interest. This would be a requirement for young people to enter into upon leaving school (High School), and before entering higher fields of education. I use voluntary and requirement loosely, because where it would only be manditory, if the individual wanted to take advantage of certain privileges. Privileges such as Driving a car under the age of 21, Taking out Federally sponsered Loans, Voting in elections, collecting welfare, medicare or public assistance.
This Conscription would be a period of no less than 2 years, unless the individual does not have a GED or High School Diploma (this would incur an additional 1 to 2 year obligation and prohibit them from choosing the field of National Service). If the individual wanted to choose his or her field this would add an additional year (which non High School grads are exempt). Applicants desiring to enter into a fully funded College Program, would have to add an additional year and would be placed into a field that best suits their academic desires (Those wishing to enter one of the Military Academies, would be under a 4 year obligation in the Armed Forces of their choice, provided that they meet the entrance standards of that Academy). Those wishing to enter the Medical field would be under a 3 year obligation, with the exception of those wishing to be placed in a fully funded national program increasing their obligation to 5 years, which would be reduced to as little as 2 years if they participate in a National Need Relocation Program upon completion of their medical training, for a term equaling the reduction in service time. Similar programs would be available to other aspiring scholars who wish to recieve a "Free Ride" from federally sponsered college programs. Candidates would have to qualify for the field in which they want to serve, and failure to successfully complete their term of service would be the equivilent of opting out in the first place.