“I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes.”
Sobering descriptions of the effects of poor academic performance are presented to us everyday. Lost competitiveness, social stagnation, and the marginalization of minorities are described as the outcomes of uneducated citizens. The list of causes for academic failures is filled with the agendas of those looking to profit from the struggles of an academic system that is over-burdened. However, it is rare that we inspect the root cause of academic failure in the US. Economics drives failure as fluidly as it drives success. From the current education system to the funding streams for education to the economic opportunities for students (particularly minorities), it is clear that out-dated economic models strongly contribute to our failures as an educated society. Dr. Martin Luther King spoke the words above in his Letter from Birmingham Jail. Maybe it is time for all of us to consider the real “underlying causes” of student failure.
~ LOUIS PICONI, Founder and Chief Executive Officer ~
I agree that we need to get to the underlying causes of student failure, but I’m unsure of how to do that. It seems to me that the causes of “failure” (not sure how we’re defining that term) must vary so much by district, school, and individual, complicating this analysis.
That being said, I think the exercise itself would lead to some significant realizations, even if we don’t get to an exact root cause.
I think we need to define what are the minimum required skills for this age in which we live. People add too many agendas to education beyond simple acquisition of the skills needed to survive in a complex society. Witness the creationism vs evolution issue. Different communities add other issues and the kids die from education starvation. Their is a core set of skills without which you wind up a victim of every scam under the sun.