Jozef, RE: " Good points about the inability of our school system to produce enough skilled people. How do you suggest it can be fixed?"
One can increase the supply of talent by importing more scientists, but one can also increase our own supply by improving K12.
RE: "How do you reform this monopoly that is so resistant to reform? We are talking 180 here. Turning schools from being there for teachers and their unions into being there for the children."
This country isn't preventive. Unfortunately, it tends to wait until the losses or pain are very great, wide, and tangible, before it takes action.
The assault on entry-level aspects of middle class America's jobs, will probably become tangible in say 3 downturns from now, if the USA does not make any changes. Of course, the USA can assume it can continue to attract top scientists for new innovation to spur new jobs. (You'll note, the number of new Asian scientists immigrating to the USA has dropped by 75% during the late 90s). When we import more new innovative scientists, we buy more time to fix the K12 system.
How to fix K12?
There are many components making up K12:
- culture around studious students (which image is more popular in society: the geek or the jock --- fortunately eBay's marketing thinks it's the geek that's popular, but the rest of the consumer industry seems to assume the average consumer is six pack Joe. Maybe Joe has turned smarter over the past decade, than what consumer marketers think?)
- reward structure of the teaching system
- system controls (teacher, parent, student)
- teachers
- students
- unions
- law system
- parents
- corporate entities
- industry people
- school programs
- tuition
- grants
- funding for studies, student incentives
- volunteering
- teaching methodology
- courses offered
etc.
What do you think needs to get fixed first?
Regards,
Amy J |
