Design your own ideal education system

[DaShi]

1. Standardized public corporal punishment.

Change corporal to capital and we agree.

2. Those sexy 'sailor scout' uniforms.

For girls and boys.

3. Streaming by ability rather than age.

4. Use of longitudinal testing and its results for placement rather than 'big finals'.

I disagree. Not only will this cause self-esteem issues and likely create a "lower" class of students, it will also encourage educators to dismiss students based on their perceptions of ability. This problem already exists, but this system seems like it would make it worse.

5. Re-introduction of rote memorization as applicable for ability level, but at the same time a regulation limiting homework per student to a maximum of 1-2 hours. Of course, self-study time is unlimited.

Is rote memorization really all that useful? Wouldn't a system where memoriable facts are applied promote the development of both skills?

7. Survival and orientation outdoor skills as part of PE curriculum.

For the kids with the lowest ability they can be taught how to make lean and shanks. Otherwise, I'd prefer this to encourage proper fitness habits. Of course, this is from someone who thinks going to the gym to "workout" is ridiculous sounding.

8. Materials sciences given earlier, more advanced, and more of it. There's a lot of cool mechanical, electrical, woodworking, fabrication knowledge that doesn't require advanced math. Students should know the basics of how to make and operate the 'stuff' of society.

How do you feel about arts?

9. ....probably too much to ask but politically neutral social studies and history classes. We don't have to be studying the 'Great Man' theory but please just a little less blatant Marxist-Leninist stuff.

School is the best place to learn communism. The real world will beat it out of them later.

10. The ability to fire teachers immediately, without warning or having to show cause, on a 2/3rds majority vote of the local board.

12. Make it illegal for teachers to unionize.

I would not teach at this school. And good luck finding good teachers willing to put up with that kind of system. I don't believe that this is the best method to hiring and keeping quality teachers. Rather, a system where the teachers feel involved and invested in their students education will promote higher quality teaching. Not one where they are afraid to make mistakes and forced to play politics with eachother and the school administrators.

[snoopy369]

Standard duration-based contracts, starting at 2 year contracts for a first-year teacher [long enough to find out if they can cut it], and then longer for experienced teachers, seem a better solution; that way teachers have reasonable stability but not tenure.

[DaShi]

I think it's most important that teachers like their jobs. The tenure system doesn't do anything for that and neither does a one strike you're out rule.