Global Competitiveness vs. Summer Vacation
| posted by Jeff De CagnaOkay everybody, please tell me what's worse: losing our national standard of living or giving up three weeks of our children's summer vacation? I know how I feel about this and so I'm pretty steamed by what I saw on television last night. First, some background...
In the July 25th issue of Fortune, Geoff Colvin has an excellent article questioning whether America and Americans can compete in "the relentless, global, tech-driven, cost-cutting struggle for business." Colvin's article presents a chilling case, and makes plain the potentially dire consequences if U.S. workers lose their competitiveness relative to the rest of the world. As Colvin writes:
The stakes are mammoth: Respectable analysts believe it is possible--not certain, but possible--that the U.S. standard of living, after decades of steady ascent, could stall or even begin to decline. More worrisome is the chance that if the world's most powerful nation finds itself getting poorer than richer, some kind of domestic or even global political crisis could follow.
We all know that America's public schools simply aren't getting the job done. For example, according to the Colvin article, America's 15-year olds are 28th in the world in mathematical achievement. That's right, 28th! So what does it say about our national priorities when the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams reports last night that parents are organizing "a grassroots effort to return to the traditional school year?" This myopic endeavor is being aided and abetted by some state legislators--local politicians who are more concerned with re-election than with the greater good of their states or our nation--who are passing bills preventing schools from starting "too early." What is going on here?
They say that parental involvement in education is a key element in student achievement. In this case, parental action is an obstacle to even the adequate preparation of their children for the future. I know that everyone enjoys their summer vacations, but those 12 consecutive weeks off from school (a period when kids often forget at least some of what they've learned) is just one of many, many aspects of the current public education system in the United States that must change if we are going to have any chance of remaining competitive in the years to come. I'm not a parent, but I am a product of public schools, and it is crystal clear to me that they need radical change and right now. Apparently, not everyone agrees.
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Recent Comments | 5 Total
August 9, 2005 at 11:25am
Gautam GhoshHi Jeff,
Wouldn't it be a better idea to improve the quality of teaching, introduce better teachers, spend on teacher training, introduce new pedagogies than to cut into the vacation time?
It would be a bigger tragedy if people are taught low quality content for a longer period of time.
regards
Gautam
August 9, 2005 at 11:39am
Jeff De CagnaGautam:
As your series of suggested changes implies, the problems are systemic. Nothing can be left off the table, and that includes the length and configuration of the school year.
I have often felt that a 3 & 1 school year would work better, i.e., 3 months on and 1 month off. It is still nine months, but it would be more days and it would create a more consistent educational context for students and teachers alike, instead of the stops and starts we have now. It would also offer students three months of vacation, just not in a row over the summer.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,
Jeff
August 9, 2005 at 11:54am
Lisa HanebergIf schools are not delivering the goods, then spending more time there will not make our kids more competitive. A couple days ago, the news shared a story of a 17 year old who is heading to graduate school after graduating with her undergraduate degree with honors. She credits her home schooling with her advanced skills and achievement. I think we will see a surge in home schooling.
While school year length should be considered, fixing the education itself seems far more important. In the mean time, allowing kids to be more balanced human beings does not seem like a bad idea at all.
August 9, 2005 at 3:22pm
timAs a father of four children, I have found that my wife and I need to constantly "enhance" our children's learning experiences at home. This may mean pulling out additional worksheets on a subject, drilling at home, or simply providing learning experiences outside of the classroom.
All of my kids have been in year round schools. We like what this model offers (on some of the tracks). It provides some much needed breaks while not allowing there to be too much downtime that could hurt a child's "momentum" toward learning.
August 9, 2005 at 7:51pm
StephenThink of America as a supplier to the consumers of the world. For years, we have been the sole supplier. We have not faced strong competition.
Now we are. If you own a company in a competitive industry and you are getting your butt kicked, you would take a long, hard look at your systems and processes. Are they wasteful? Are they producing a quality product or service? Are they exceeding the requirements of the customer?
Well, that is where our country is heading. We better take a long, hard look at our systems( education, medical, etc.) and ask if they are prepared to compete in a global market.
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