In this article, we’ll explore a number of challenges facing schools today and how to address them. The first step to rebuilding education is developing a shared vision that incorporates diverse perspectives and stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents, and expanded learning practitioners. Then, we’ll examine how schools can address these challenges and find collaborative solutions that can improve learning outcomes for all students. Let’s start with some key elements of this shared vision.
Overcrowding in schools is a real issue. Insufficient funding leads to students’ dropping out, teachers’ stress levels, and poor classroom management. To address this, policy makers can draft master plans that refuse to tolerate overcrowding. But this process is ongoing, as new housing developments force schools to change capacity. Dedicated task forces can keep abreast of capacity changes, such as new housing developments.
The problem with the current education system is that most policy makers don’t have any experience teaching classroom subjects. Most of them haven’t even taught a subject, so they don’t know how to teach it. Often, they are ideological, so they aren’t willing to challenge the status quo. However, they have tremendous power over curriculums and special programs in K-12. By doing so, students aren’t learning how to be responsible citizens, and their country is suffering as a result.
The new educators in our society are not trained to teach the subjects they were hired for, and their training is far less comprehensive. Currently, they are receiving training on pedagogical methods and fewer in the actual subject matter. The older teachers still have a deep appreciation for real education. Unfortunately, many of them have already retired, leaving a generation of teachers who don’t have the necessary training to teach the core educational concepts. In addition, many new teachers believe their opinions are important, even though they often don’t.
