Marion Brady is interested in a thread on how to create life-long
learners, but is concerned with "marrying secondary and post secondary
education with the needs of the workplace..."
I hear this concern frequently from educators, and therefore for the last
several years I have been asking business leaders what their highest need
is from the educational system.
Because it is an open-ended question, the answer comes in many different
forms, but if I summarize them in few words, the majority fall into the
category, "create good citizens."
They frequently mention wanting people who can read the paper critically,
who can make reasoned decisions in the voting booth, who can work with
mathematics confidently, who can function comfortably and constructively
in a group.
I have two comments on that. First, it is a pretty serious indictment
that these skills are not already being delivered. Second, if these
skills were to come out of the marriage mentioned above, I don't think
many people would object. I think Marion's concerns, while common, need
not be a source of worry.
The people on this list have succeeded in the current educational system,
but for many it does not work. It would be nice to reliably create more
of the kinds of people we meet here, but first we need to provide basic
skills and abilities.
Finally, let me add that the failure to provide these skills is not a
failure of educators, but of society. This is truly a systemic issue if
there ever was one, and every one of us can to some extent look in the
mirror to see a cause of the problem.
-- Rol Fessenden LL Bean 76234.3636@compuserve.com