A New Vision for Education and the Future

The current educational model, with few exceptions, is antiquated, deeply flawed and no longer serves our needs in the twenty-first century. The system rewards passivity and conformity and discourages uniqueness and creative thinking. The system is filled with inefficiencies and inequalities, with tragic discrepancies between what students are taught and what they need to know. 

 It is important to recognize there is nothing inevitable or preordained about our current dominant classroom structure. This model is a human construct and it is time for this dysfunctional model to evolve. It must be understood that education is a living system and that students thrive in certain conditions and not in others. We are in a position to use our creative and technical resources to bring  about a transformation that is highly customizable and would help each student feel valued as individuals and deal with them based on their needs and interests. The challenge is not to overhaul this system but to change it: not to reform it but transform it.

The redesign we are urging is based on a belief in the value of the individual, the right to self determination, the human potential to evolve and live a fulfilled life, and the importance of community responsibility.

This radical transformation cannot come from the top down but must emerge from the actions taken by those who constitute the base. Revolutionary changes do not wait for legislation. The situation grows  more urgent with every day that the educational status quo survives while the world is changing around it. The one thing we cannot afford to do is to leave the current system as it is. The cost of inaction is unconscionably high, and it is counted not in currency but in human destinies.

We are aware of the fact that there are a small number of innovative and created programs within school districts and we encourage them to continue and they should be given credit for their efforts. Most of these innovative programs are located in the higher. social-economic districts. There are a small number of these programs in the lower demographic districts ,however, the demand far outweighs their capacity. 

Again, we are advocating for wide-reaching systemic reform .We all have a responsibility that these programs are available to all students independent of their social-economic background, School District or State in which they may reside. All children /students should be afforded the opportunity to have a quality educational system which allows them to reach their full potential and to strive for a fulfilling life. Equality in education is in everybody's best interest.

 If everyone truly wants to stop the gun violence, bullying, and gang violence in schools and reduce the achievement gap, the system we are advocating for will allow the educators to identify those who are in academic, mental or physical distress and be given the help and assistance they require. Furthermore, it allows the teachers to spend more individual time with their students to aid them in the areas where they need help. 

There are approximately 13,800 school districts in America.Our best estimate is that less than 1% have innovative and creative systems in place. Children do not choose their social-economic state to which they are born. Those who are less fortunate deserve a fair and equitable educational system. And for those more fortunate, we have an obligation to help those in less favorable circumstances. The success or failure of the educational system, in truth, will dictate the destiny of our communities and indirectly our individual fates.