Educational Reform-response 5

Educational Reform

Educational reform is a much needed thing in America and else where.  Our educational system  does not meet the standards set for by the government; least that is what the government claims.  They system pops out kids like they are on an assembly line.  Group them all together by age, doesn’t matter if one is smarter than the other.  For twelve years we are a number in the system.  Sitting in desk, taking the standardized test mandated by the government.  Listening to the teacher drone on and on about the most boring subjects.  Kids get bored and they react to the boredom; so we give our kids drugs to stay focus.  These drugs will keep our kids sedated while a teacher can “teach”.  Teachers are trained to produce our kids not to excel at creativity but trained to produce our kids to work.

In reading Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital of the Monthly Review Education and Capitalism Series by John Bellamy Foster to reform our educational system we have to reform our society and our economy.   He states that we live in and era of structural crisis.  Without the monies from corporations the schooling systems can and will fail.  Sir Ken Robinson of RSA.org  also points this out.  In researching  Foster and Robinson’s views both believe that without  we have to change our economy and our culture to have a reformed educational system. 

Robinson reformation seems to focus on the individual of a person and how well they do.  He states that we are stuck in a time warp of edcation from the “enlightenment” period.  That we group all our kids together as a factory model to produce workers.  While Foster does agree that they system is designed to produce certain types of students.  Such as, a working class student and those destined to be a working class citizen are taught to follow the rules.  And the upper class are taught to learn the values of our society.  So, schools are basically less about an education and more of a behavior lesson.  Preparing these kids for the life of a working person. 

If you want a great educaiton, you have to step outside the public school system and enter the private sector.  The elite schools.  The goals of these types of schools are to produce greatness. 

Foster, however, digs deep into the dark abyss of the financial crisis unlike Robinson.  The better funded the school is the better the education.  Now ain’t that some shit?!  President Bush passed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001. With this reform schools had to get their act together or face major restructuring of their system and possibly face termination of the staff.  The NCLB program still wants all schools to have standardized testing in reading and math for proficiency.  The program looks great on paper and reading about it; but, personally I don’t agree with it.  I have had two children go through the educational system with schools that failed to meet the criteria set by the government.  And their education was not the best.  Granted under this law, if your school does not meet the criteria, as a parent you are able to put your child in a school that does.  But at what cost to you? 

Foster states that many billionaires such a Gates and Dell have and are donating their time and money to many public schools systems.  With private money coming into the system, we can change our educational problem.  Private monies can allow foundations to be created to give teachers and students alike the motovation needed to become a shining star not a number off of the assembly line. 

Granted, we need the government’s money and help.  But, private money allows communities to build Charter Schools.  This school is still a public school but being ran independently of the school board.    We are still building future workers, but we are building workers with a purpose and a drive to exceed and to excel. 


Foster, John.  "Education and the Structural Crisis of Capital, The U.S. Case", http://www.monthlyreview.org/. Monthlyreview Volume 63 (July-August)

Robinson, Ken. RSA.org

please note...I misread the concept of this article...I will need to repost