A little while back there was some discussion about engineers wanting to
specify what (engineering?) students should learn, and the reaction of
teachers. It raised the question for me of who decides what is important
in education, how does that get communicated, and how does someone ensure
that it drives classroom work.
The first question -- who decides -- is an interesting. There has been
some discussion about -- perhaps -- differing values between corporations
and educators, and the issue was raised of the role of parents. Are they
the chief clients? Are the students? If it is the latter, who represents
the student, the parent or the teacher?
the reason this may be important is that these people may have differing
views about the goals of education. In Maine, the Coalition for
Excellence in Education -- governor's task force -- commissioned a study
of values and perceptions. One question was the following: Do you agree
or disagree with the following statement? "A prime goal of education is
to prepare kids for work." two-thirds of teachers disagreed, and
two-thirds of citizens agreed. Apparently there is a disagreement about
the fundamental goals of school. What does everyone think? Who should
decide? How should this get implemented?
-- Rol Fessenden LL Bean 76234.3636@compuserve.com