As a retired teacher, I read a lot of articles about the state of schools today. As a big fan of public schools, I want schools to progress in ways that promote the best possible education for every child. I know that a well educated country is a strong country, and I also know that a good education correlates to longer, healthier, happier lives too.
We're fortunate to live in a country that offers every child a public education, but we have work to do in order to make public education an optimal learning environment and endeavor. What can we do?
Re-look at school infrastructure
In too many ways, school infrastructure in many districts is ineffective and inefficient. Roles need to be re-looked at and updated to make sure that job expectations are reasonable, salaries are just and the work people do directly correlates to the best possible education for every child. In too many ways, the constructs in place with regard to school infrastructure are outdated in ways that strangle system growth and development.
Update school environments
Too many school environments are prison-like. Too many schools exist in dangerous neighborhoods with inadequate green space and play spaces. The interior of school buildings are too often outdated and unmatched to modern ways of learning. Campus environments like Google offer an image of what schools might look like. School environments should be inviting, safe indoor/outdoor hubs of learning. We can do this.
Climate change affects schools
Schools have been greatly affected by climate change. Climate change considerations must be included in all school updates.
Create more harmonious, effective community-parent-school teams
School systems have to rethink how they work with the community and parents--they have to build effective home-school teams that that help the community and school personnel work with one another to build the best possible education centers for students. Too many home-school teams work in ineffective ways. This has to change.
It is essential for schools in every community to rethink their direction at this time. It is wrong to expect all schools to be similar, but instead every school should be the best possible learning environment for the students, families and community they serve. Rather than compete with one another--schools across the country should learn from one another and adopt practices that are most effective for the children they serve. Onward.