Strengthen classroom content:
implement rigorous curriculum in every classroom
Public school students can achieve at significantly higher levels if the curriculum content provided to them were of a higher level, taught by teachers who know the subject matter and know how engage students in active learning. This higher-level content shouldn't be reserved for high school education, rather, it must be taught in the elementary grades, too. For example, many public school students in the District begin the study of geometry in the 10th grade, after completing a course in algebra in the 9th grade. However, geometry in most American private schools and more successful public ones, geometry is taught in the 6th grade. A similar curriculum is considered standard for elementary students in Japan and Europe. When the opportunity to engage in higher-level content is denied in early grades, we place limitations on a student's ability to learn.
The imbalance in our public education system is threatening the ability of our next generation to compete effectively in a global economy. That disparity becomes tragic in high schools where the curriculum taught is far more advanced than the knowledge and skills needed. This imbalance is highlighted when comparing the level of excellence our children achieve and the level of excellence achieved regularly by students in other industrialized nations. Only six percent of America's high school students study calculus. In Germany, that figure is 40 percent. In Japan, its 90 percent! When our students have the opportunity to compete in advanced public and private schools, they excel. It is in our collective self-interest to give every American child such an opportunity.
I propose we build a high school education structure that is competitive with the best national education institutes, in content and quality. The goal is to encourage higher education, yet every student is not on the trajectory to complete four years of college. Today's high-tech job market requires training and excellence, but not necessarily a four-year degree. Our school system must match the career opportunities that are emerging with the students best suited to fulfill them. Every elite technology center in America is accompanied by a sustained commitment to creating education excellence at the grade school, high school, technical training, and college education levels. North Carolina's Research Triangle, California's Silicon Valley, Massachusetts' Route 128 Corridor, Maryland's 270 Corridor, and Fairfax County's Dulles Complex are all the result of serious and continued public investments in quality education.
If we are to participate in the world-class economy growing at our doorsteps, we must do what others have done. We must demand, pay for, and manage a sweeping reconstruction of our public school system. It is not a matter of running our current system more efficiently, it is about turning it on its heels. Immediate actions should include the implementation of a solid core curriculum that all students must complete by 16 years old. These high school curriculae must be designed to offer more support in math, science, and the arts. The curriculum must also provide compatibility with the best school to career practices.
In essence, America's public schools must become flexible enough to implement a stringent elementary curriculum, particularly in the areas of math and science.
The imbalance in our public education system is threatening the ability of our next generation to compete effectively in a global economy. That disparity becomes tragic in high schools where the curriculum taught is far more advanced than the knowledge and skills needed. This imbalance is highlighted when comparing the level of excellence our children achieve and the level of excellence achieved regularly by students in other industrialized nations. Only six percent of America's high school students study calculus. In Germany, that figure is 40 percent. In Japan, its 90 percent! When our students have the opportunity to compete in advanced public and private schools, they excel. It is in our collective self-interest to give every American child such an opportunity.
I propose we build a high school education structure that is competitive with the best national education institutes, in content and quality. The goal is to encourage higher education, yet every student is not on the trajectory to complete four years of college. Today's high-tech job market requires training and excellence, but not necessarily a four-year degree. Our school system must match the career opportunities that are emerging with the students best suited to fulfill them. Every elite technology center in America is accompanied by a sustained commitment to creating education excellence at the grade school, high school, technical training, and college education levels. North Carolina's Research Triangle, California's Silicon Valley, Massachusetts' Route 128 Corridor, Maryland's 270 Corridor, and Fairfax County's Dulles Complex are all the result of serious and continued public investments in quality education.
If we are to participate in the world-class economy growing at our doorsteps, we must do what others have done. We must demand, pay for, and manage a sweeping reconstruction of our public school system. It is not a matter of running our current system more efficiently, it is about turning it on its heels. Immediate actions should include the implementation of a solid core curriculum that all students must complete by 16 years old. These high school curriculae must be designed to offer more support in math, science, and the arts. The curriculum must also provide compatibility with the best school to career practices.
In essence, America's public schools must become flexible enough to implement a stringent elementary curriculum, particularly in the areas of math and science.
