The Problem with Education
America’s educational systems often do not provide their students with the non-academic experiences and training needed to handle life’s problems and to lead satisfying lives. This is understandable since many people believe that non-academic experiences are not part of education’s core mission. However, our educational system does have a large impact on the social and mental health development of most people; therefore, including more non-academic experiences can help students avoid common problems and lead more satisfying lives.
The Solution
The NPMP education plan recognizes that prevention of and/or early intervention in emotional, healthcare, economic, and social problems is important to avoid more damaging problems and costs later in life.
Creating a strong connection between educational resources and community-based healthcare, social, governmental, economic, and vocational services can greatly help with this effort. Also, projects that can help students understand and possibly improve their local community can be very beneficial.
NPMP broadens the mission of local K-12 school districts and community colleges to include helping local communities mitigate local issues related to social, economic, and/or political problems. However, the plan is strictly voluntary. No schools would be required to participate.
The plan contains the following elements:
- The creation of a national library of tools and resources to meet different educational and community needs. Authors submitting materials to this system would be paid from the small fees users pay based on usage. The library will give local communities the ability to acquire high quality, technologically advanced programs at low costs.
- The creation of a broad set of nationally defined community social, economic, educational, and financial standards that are designed to give a holistic view of the conditions that exist in any community.
- The creation of a federal education funding program to ensure that all schools have adequate resources to meet national standards and local goals. Local or state resources would still supply the majority of revenue needed for most school districts. A formula that uses local educational, economic, social and national standards data will help calculate what federal funding may or not may be available.
- A national auditing system to determine how local communities and school systems compare with the nationally defined standards. Local communities and local school systems would not be required to follow audit suggestions or fix identified issues except when extreme deficiencies are identified.
- Creation of federally sponsored national and regional academic and non-academic competitions to recognize and promote student achievements.
Would such a plan be feasible?
The NPMP education plan will need to be better defined and researched before estimates of costs and benefits can be determined. However, most NPMP education projects should be able to document long term cost benefits.
Possible starting project
An initial project to define a broad set of national community social, economic, educational, and financial standards would seem an appropriate first step. The data needed to calculate how most communities and school districts are meeting these standards should be readily available from public records.
Additional information about educational issues can be found in book
Questions: email David@fundingvisions.org