There’s an
article that outlines Dr. Zais’ ideas for reform of our state’s education
system. You can click
here to read this article in the Charleston Post and Courier.
Dr. Zais
makes the statement, "Traditional proposals for improving education --
more money, better facilities, improved curriculum and smaller classes -- will
not work. We've tried that. We've tried that for 40 years," said Zais.
He also
states, "Sadly our high school curriculum is focused on college
preparation and life enrichment. I've
said our high school curriculum should focus on career preparation and life
skills. For example, business writing is a legitimate substitute to British
literature. Public speaking is an important skill that children do not learn. Consumer
math, which is useful, might be more important than Algebra I or II. I have
never (seen) the quadratic equation in real life, but I'm hard pressed to
compute my own mortgage payments."
I don’t
necessarily disagree that there should be a focus on future career goals and
skills (the EEDA
helps in that respect). However, there’s
a danger of a return to our past. That’s
the way South Carolina’s public school system used to work. I am a product of a system that limited the
future for certain students. Schools were
segregated (not just racially but by mill and town schools), and, even after integration, there were distinct (and limiting) curriculum
paths that students followed.
In the 21st
Century, all children have to be prepared for some kind of post-secondary
education. We also cannot return to
limiting the future of children based on sorting. I’m fearful that some of the options most
often touted as being beneficial will limit the future of so many young people in our state.
It will also limit our state’s competiveness.
Our state
needs an educated workforce that can compete in the global community. Let’s look forward rather than backward.
