Education Reform in America=STEM - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#13589211
STEM = Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics.

The STEM initiative is the call to improve core subjects in America.

The reason as I see it, is fairly simple. The educational system in America as it is today, was created in part due to WWII. At that time it was imperative that people were educated enough to work in industrial plants to support the war effort. During that time the USA was a Military Industrial Complex.

The educational system has changed very little since that time, the needs and expectations of our work force however has. America has changed from a Military Industrial complex into a Military Technological Complex, as our industry, like many aspects of our lives, revolves around some kind of technology.

The factories, once ran with man power, has been given over to machines, computers and robots. We now find ourselves in a position where we have need of an educated workforce to run those same factories.

Further adding to the problem is the fact that technology has progressed at an exponential rate. Due to that fact, and due to the fact that the educational system has had little or no reform, our needs are more desperate than ever because the reform needed is also exponential.

Americas educational needs now has to reflect our technological position. This need is reflected in every portion of modern life, since every portion of our modern lifestyle has, in one way or another, changed with technology.

The burdens and responsibilities we now face, because of all this, will have direct consequences on the future of our country. Those consequences will be felt much sooner than later.

With the advent of STEM reform we will have the ability to compete, on an international level, against countries who have already undergone this transition. The rest of the world has been forced into this transition by the technological advancements we have introduced to it.

These countries saw they needed to change in order to survive and compete in a changing world, we now need to change as well or be phased out by the very forces that we created.

Educational reform will need to embrace new technologies and sciences in order to fill positions we desperately need, as well as prepare for new positions that do not yet exist.

With this new need, how will we change? What new frontiers will we open? How will it affect our social structure? Are we up to the task at hand?
By Agent S
#13590290
Will the enhancements to STEM be at the expense of other subject areas? For example, languages, social sciences, law, business? Because, to be honest, I'm not convinced that education should be about manipulating young minds towards serving the Military Technological Complex.
By eugenekop
#13590294
Everyone has a different outlook on what education should be, that's why the best solution to address this difference of opinions is a complete privatization of education, some would say, with education vouchers given by the government to the parents. Education cannot be monolithic, there has to be a variety, and only privatization can make it happen.
By Agent S
#13590297
Well, no surprises that I disagree about privatisation being the best/only means of providing varied education. It'll provide what's profitable or what the provider deems a priority. And what about who it provides for?
I make no apology - education should be a right and not be a commodity.
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By U184
#13590388
Agent Sizzle wrote:Will the enhancements to STEM be at the expense of other subject areas? For example, languages, social sciences, law, business? Because, to be honest, I'm not convinced that education should be about manipulating young minds towards serving the Military Technological Complex.
No, other subjects can not and will not be compromised. As for the "Military Technological Complex" since that is the state of the US Government and Industry I do not see how it can be avoided.
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By Lightman
#13590401
I don't inherently disagree with your ideas, KFlint, but I believe that, first and foremost, any education system should be about creating citizens, not workers; that is knowledgeable people with useful skills who are aware enough of the world around them to want to participate in our political process and also can keep a check on government and private wrongdoing.
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By U184
#13590408
I agree. I also think that given the education system of today the only thing kids are learning is how to be a consumer and work at Walmart or fast-food joints.
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By Eran
#13611135
I make no apology - education should be a right and not be a commodity.

Maybe. But government doesn't guarantee education. At best, it guarantees schooling.

To get education, we need accountability, sorely missing in the public system.

Two points.

First, you could still have education as a right, without having it provided by government. In the US, government provides food stamps, not food. How about educational vouchers, whereby the right to education is guaranteed, but parents are allowed complete freedom to choose their preferred provider of said education?

Second, it is totally false to suggest that without public financial support, anybody in a western society will not get good education. The amazing book "A Beautiful Tree" shows, through exhaustive research, how some of the poorest people on Earth (residents of Indian slums and sub-saharan African villages) pay for their children's education, often even when a public alternative is available.
By Kman
#13611136
Eran wrote:How about educational vouchers, whereby the right to education is guaranteed, but parents are allowed complete freedom to choose their preferred provider of said education?


NO WAY, then we cant brainwash students easily into becoming good tax slaves for the state!!!

Although I would vastly prefer a fully privatized education system I think a voucher system would be a good compromise to start with atleast.
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