Fixing Education

I have commented here already regarding education, but politics of late beg a little more discussion.

Obama was my choice, and I am hopeful that big things are coming... But we have a lot of momentum and profound change [though desperately needed] is easier to suggest than accomplish.

Even now, we look at the Big 3 automakers likely getting a bailout despite poor business practice and a union out-of-step with the world. [Anyone making $70/hr should own the risk of the business. I have 20+ years in high-tech, a four-year degree and post-graduate studies to boot, a library of current volumes... I have served as a leader for multiple professional organizations... and the only way I make $70/hr is to create my own business. Endless guarantees should not be due for shallow, commodity-level skills and weak performance.] I think the market has proven in spades that the American automaker model is unsustainable and we should simply let Detroit fail; The American people do not need to bear the brunt of their irresponsible behaviors. [Obama said the old methods would give way... giving to GM, Ford, and Chrysler out of friendship is old thinking. If we mean to really make changes, we must cut something. Detroit has been asking for it and will not fix itself with handouts.]

The education system similarly faces a global revision. China and India already provide a huge part of the new world talent entering high-tech... They are moving to own the world of technology and production, because we have largely abandoned our own national focus on education, innovation, and real productivity. We largely act as if we can skate now, simply on national pride and historical momentum. This feeling of entitlement is unfounded and will easily bury us unless we move boldly and quickly. Great minds and hunger span the globe... There is nothing special about us that keeps us on top. Our country has a great system of government, if we learn to act and quit resting at the sidelines.

Education suffers many of the same issues as most civil service. It tends to think largely about how their system is poorly funded and clings to old habits and momentum, regardless of the possibilities. In Washington state we are looking at significant school closings, because of limited funds in this economic downturn; Tax bases are diminishing fast and past needs are sudden frivoities. Classes will grow in size and education quality will surely suffer.

But there have been some scattered glimmers of hopeful ideas. If industry needs educated workers, they should participate in our education problems more pro-actively. Google now provides infrastructure for free email, blogs, and web pages... Do taxpayers actually need to pay for these duplicated technological functions in our schools if they can be had and maintained for nothing? I believe local companies also should pay a significant added cost for employing non-citizens, and that money should go straight back to our education; We should also bias our education systems toward citizens first. That is not protectionism - It is responsible government. [The free market is good for corporations and owners - not necessarily workers; It destroys communities quickly, unless something stabilizes and evolves our labor pool.]

We also have seen some scattered online class offerings. When we pay for education, we do not really desire to pay for expensive real estate(i.e. schools) and transportation(busses, dropping kids at school)... these are simply holdovers from the outdated education model. What we want is the education; The core education part should be our focus, not the outdated brick-and-mortar. We could have kids gather at day-care institutions, local churches, libraries, homes... to participate in study groups and online classes according to available esources versus imposed infrastructure. Now that many service and knowledge workers can be employed in the home... Children can start to telecommute also. One teacher could reach many, and focused tutoring for challenged students could replace the commodity delivery mechanics of today. Social skills would need effort still, but the model needs to adjust. [The fact that travel is more limited would also limit the spread of any pandemic; Just as staying home from work contains the spread of disease, so does staying home from school.]

And we need to drop the bilingual support. The desire to retain our cultural backgrounds and heritage is both romantic and reasonable, but that should be a personal devotion and not a tax-subsidized pipe dream. English is the language of money; Employment and prosperity in the USA absolutely depends on real communication, and cultivating the divide is counter-productive. Classes in Spanish, Chinese, French, and such are extra-curricular; We need to communicate as a nation again. Immigrants used to work hard at their English, because they knew prosperity demanded it; It still does. To support the idea that we can have total diversity and variety, without consideration for cost, is foolish; It is an unsustainable dream.

I believe we can move on these initiatives within this recession; In fact, it may be necessary. Obama was right when he said the old stuff needs fixing. Lets move toward the possibilities... and quit making excuses for failure to change.