Thoughts

I really need to post here more often...

I have a few thoughts on where schools are heading in the coming years...

The end to unions as we know them are on the horizon. Just as in any industry, unions lose power as they become corrupt and their counterparts run out of money. leaving no room for negotiations. Don't be surprised that once unions are eradicated, money suddenly trickles back to the schools.

Charter schools may finally be getting it right. Once investors figured out that they needed to put out a good product instead of hoping to make a quick buck, charter schools are suddenly showing insane improvements. New Orleans was the test-case, and if what The New York Times says is true, that city will be the model for the rest of us.

Netbooks and Web 2.0 tools will take the place of paper, textbooks, and even Windows/Vista-friendly PC's. There are two reasons for this shift in educational technology: price and access. When administrators figure out that a $200 netbook running on free software could be placed in the hands of every student for less than they are currently spending on 10:1 computer ratios running pricey Microsoft software packages, they won't take long to buy in, so to speak. With blogs, wikis, email, and social networks all available for free online, the classroom tools of the past will be obsolete.

A new structure for teacher advancement will have to happen. Schools don't receive financial support because they still pay a 30-year teacher twice as much money as they do a first-year teacher to do the same work. There is room for advancement in almost every other profession except for teaching. Schools are already experimenting with incentives, but a complete overhaul of the profession's structure is needed. I propose that schools hire college grads as aids and subs. It would raise the education level of school support staff and properly acclimate young teachers to the many demands of teaching. Once newbies prove themselves capable, they can be promoted to classroom teacher. Then, teachers can advance to grade-level team leader, subject chair, assistant principal, and so on. The days of teachers doing the same thing for thirty years and getting paid double or triple by the end will probably die out.

I've got more, but it will have to wait...