The Dilemma

Since the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, politicians have been trying to lay blame for the perceived failings of an educational system in decline.  Now, 35 years later, some international testing still shows students from nearly half of the industrialized countries in the world outperforming students from the United States but, instead of pulling together and fixing the system already in place, special interests, profiteers, and politicians have found reasons to begin pulling the system apart and spawning, for good or bad, a wide new range of experimental schools and programs, both public and private, with mixed results.

The Situation

Teachers have consistently identified prevailing curricula and instructional methods as detracting from their ability to manage and motivate all students.  Some of these deficiencies include outdated, irrelevant materials, materials that students have difficulty connecting with, and materials that inadequately address the concepts teachers expect students to master. Also, some of the digital learning platforms that are now required by school districts are too time-consuming, as teachers interact with students, learn more computer programs, prepare for in-class instruction, plan assessments, and perform a wide range of other duties.

As school systems struggle to keep pace with contemporary ideas and technologies, students become increasingly stifled and disinterested in their education.

A core curriculum that remains outdated

Students deserve a modernized curriculum integrating STEM and the arts with structured lessons and everyday activities.