I thought his critiques were valid and succinct. I particularly agree with #4 and #5. I thought this quote from another source was right on:
"How many industries that were around 100 years ago–and are still around today–are making their products almost the exact same way? Can you think of an industry that uses almost the identical methods of production they did 100 years ago, one that hasn’t undergone radical industrialization, innovation, or significant transformation?
How about the American classroom? Our method of teaching hasn’t radically changed over the past century. It’s stuck, it’s dated, and it’s in need of radical transformation. While there are bright spots in the private school system, the public education system–where the vast majority of our children are being taught, guided, and motivated–is a dated, bloated, inefficient, bureaucratic dinosaur. It lost sight and understanding of its consumer a long, long time ago."
I personally don’t know much about this particular system but I clearly agree that education system - at all levels - needs some serious reforms. The last thing that we need is for government to completely fund a broken higher education system which will then almost certainly just jack up the costs exponentially to suck as much money out of the government (i.e. the people) as possible.
Here is another great article with really good points. I’ll just put this point out there from the article:
“Which gets me to the point I really want to make. The underlying problem here is a productivity problem, not a budget problem. If the government makes more money available for higher education, that will continue, maybe even accelerate.”
Because they look at education in such a sacrosanct way and as such throw rationality out the window. The answer from the left on this is simply as much money as the institutions deem necessary.
In all seriousness I personally view this - education reform - as one of the most important issues of our day! Hopefully more and more Americans will realize that this archaic, waste full, unproductive and extremely expensive system is not working in the best interests of the country.
The problem isn’t that people aren’t aware that education needs to be reformed.
The problem is that the “conservative solutions” being proposed, which amount to nothing more than the shoveling of money to preferred for-profit institutions without any type of oversight is not the solution for K-12.
As for colleges, yes Sanders’ ideas are garbage. A rethink of whether college is necessary for many of the jobs for which there are now degrees required is long overdue. The easy money available to go to college has indeed shunted a lot of people there who probably shouldn’t go.
I would de-link the idea that college is for training for the workforce to begin with.
I feel like there should be a way for motivated, qualified, low income students to go to college without cost or at low cost. Not every college, not every student. But an option for poor kids.
In NY- we already have the CUNY option. That should be a model for other states.
On this, I agree. I sort of link it to when I joined the Army, there were jobs that were needed and this is the training you got.
If a potential student met with a counselor and, between them, it was determined that the student had the ability to learn a vocation that was needed, then based on their ability to pay an education could be provided for them at either a vocational school or a university.
The curriculum would be fixed of course, and the bloated pre-requisites should be abolished.
Half of the courses I took had nothing to do with the end goal of my education. Sure, I am a more well rounded person because of this, but that has nothing to do with why I went to school. I could have done that on my own.
The student could pay back after they graduate and start making a decent living. Plus, they are going to be paying more in taxes as a result of having a better job. It should pay for itself or even turn a profit if done correctly.
Maybe it should be states, and maybe a lot of states do it already- I only know NY. Could the feds pay the states for tuition costs for qualified kids? Maybe.
