This topic was discussed August 19, 2013
Following up on our discussion of August 5, this session will focus in on primary and secondary education.
- Finland model? There seemed to be lots of support for elements of the education model in Finland:
- Higher educational, certification and training standards for teachers
- Much higher teacher-to-administrative personnel ratio
- Robust performance reviews from peers [and other sources?] determining pay
- Higher “societal status” accorded to teachers by their communities
- Far fewer standardized tests applied to the entire student population
Can we/should we try to replicate that model in the US?
- Changing teacher role. How can we transition toward such a model?
- End of teacher tenure?
- Higher standards (how measured?) and pay/retain for performance?(/li>
- More curriculum flexibility for teachers, relying on their professional judgment as to what to teach and when
- College prep vs. vocational training. Should the secondary curriculum be primarily focused on college prep, or should other paths to strong, middle-class employment opportunities (“trade” skills, etc.) also be encouraged? How might we mitigate the perceived stigma that many of these careers are only for those who failed at college prep?