Education Reform

During the past half century the educational system of the nation has been judged inadequate for students, teachers, and society as a whole. Piecemeal and episodic attempts at reform, which have consumed vast sums of money and human effort have largely proved ephemeral. We suggest that the time has come to undertake the difficult and complex task of revising the entire system of education in ways that will produce sustainable reform. The operative words here are system and sustainable. The nation must have an educational system that will function at a high level of effectiveness with built-in controls on quality and innovation.

The teaching profession must attract outstanding students in higher education who will regard teaching as a socially useful and personally rewarding career. In order that this be so, a number of changes are required for a career in teaching to become appealing. We simply cannot have the splendid educational system we need until we have a high proportion of splendid teachers. Many things have to change for this goal to be achieved and the more obvious are now listed.

The colleges and universities should make special arrangements for the pre-service teachers to be given a broad liberal arts education. In addition, special courses will be needed to prepare students to teach in each of the three main levels of K-12 education -- elementary, middle and high school. For example, the courses offered in most science departments are designed largely for preprofessional students targeting medicine, engineering, and graduate school. Some are both useful and necessary for teachers, but they are insufficient. Special courses are also necessary. The colleges and universities must accept that the education of inservice teachers is one of their more important duties.

A critical examination should be made of the current practice of allocating pre=service education to two different poorly cooperating and often unsympathetic, parts of the university: the disciplinary departs and the schools of education. This has been a festering problem for years, and it should bee studied and a solution reached that enhances the education of pre-service teachers.

Another unnecessary hurdle that hinders some of the very best students wishing to enter the teaching profession is the often Byzantine system for certification. Certification should be a device for ensuring that first class individuals enter the teaching profession. It high standards are set for certification, an effort should be made for certification in one state being recognized nationwide.

The teachers in the K-12 years must be given reasonable teaching loads, assistance, good supplies, and equipment, opportunities to interact with other teachers in their schools and, by attending meetings of professional societies, with other members of the profession. This will provide opportunities for self-development and a truly professional life.

Teaching should be a well rewarded profession where salaries are competitive with those of equally talented and dedicated individuals serving in other segments of society. Merit must be recognized and, possible, associated with different levels of positions, such as Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Distinguished Professor in higher education.

Considerable thought should be given to a major change in the curriculum. At present it is, at best, loosely related to the world the student will enter. We propose that a cluster of quite different topics become part of K-12 education. Students should become acquainted with the major activities that occur in the factories, stores, technology, government, communication systems, professions, and in the sciences, social sciences, political sciences, arts, and literature. The hope here is not only better, far better education, but making the transition from school to society more intelligent and rewarding. Most students gain very little knowledge of possible careers in the K-12 years.

A new and radically different curriculum will flourish only if it is supported by a wealth of new materials. Since many of the subjects to become part of the new curriculum are new and not covered by existing textbooks and teachers manuals, such must be developed and made available. One obvious way is to have text-like materials prepared and then put on the world wide web for free availability to all. The preparation of these materials should be controlled by the group guiding the reform movement. Once the curricula guidelines for the level and approach has been chose, the many topics could be done by individuals acting alone or professional societies could undertake the responsibility of preparing them. This procedure would have the great advantage of bypassing commercial publishers which, as a group, have been usually against new and creative ways in education.

Current class work is often criticized for the very little concern shown for critical or inequity-based thinking. Some courses in the sciences, where inquiry-based thinking should be the leitmotiv, seem to be little more than a parade of nouns to be memorized. Inquiry-based thinking is a skill that is, perhaps, as important as for children as reading. It focuses on learning how to think analytically -- to explore the wonders of the world and our own places within that world. Learning this skill can begin in kindergarten or even earlier. Clearly science provides the best vehicle for teaching inquiry-based skills. However, as this skill is learned, it can immediately be extended to all other subjects. It is imperative that our children learn this skill, not only to be able to deal rationally with the opportunities and challenges facing society (environment, population, technology, etc.), but also to obtain the skills required by an increasingly information based world for jobs and pleasure. Inquiry-based thinking potentially leads to curiosity and wonder about the world, inquisitiveness about our own lives and a lifelong love and commitment of learning.

One of the most important conditions for success will be to find test areas where the usually independent components of the educational system will be willing to cooperate. That is, the colleges and universities must take seriously their critical role in the education of students who will become teachers. The state and local administrative structure must have the independence and power to alter condition so that truly first-rate students will find the possibility of a career in teaching in the K-12 years most attractive. This will require making teaching to be a humane, well rewarded, and well regarded profession.

How will the human resources and funding necessary for such a massive reform be obtained? Many are already available. The fervor and ferment in educational circles today is astonishing and candidates for high office make educational reform one of their promises to the nation. Seemingly everybody wants to do something. But as the authors of the Boyer Commission wrote: "efforts have been timid, sporadic, limited, and unavailing." As other quoted authors maintain, the reason is that the whole system is bankrupt. Granting agencies and foundations currently provide large quantities of money to individuals or to institutions for reform but, more than likely, any good that comes from the grants does not transfer to other institutions or even persist. Again, more likely than not, the effort ends when the PI retires or loses interest. There are millions of dollars available for reforming education. In the same way, there are currently a very large number of individuals, committees, societies, and organizations devoted to educational reform -- each with its own agenda and little or no cooperation or exchange of information with others. As part of our proposal we hope that a very large number of interested and talented individuals and groups can enter a cooperative venture to reform the reform of education.

Dr. John Moore is a Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of California - Riverside. The above article contains the central elements of Reforming of Education, a report of the Committee on Education Reform, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Moore can be reached via email at: jamoore@ucracl.ucr.edu