Anonymous wrote:Schools would not be invented today, they would be derided as socialism and un-American and then whichever politician suggested the idea would have a 24 hour news network out for their blood for being a communist or something until one of their unhinged viewers tried to kill them. The end.

This - you would have people complaining “It’s your choice to have kids, why should I pay taxes to educate them?”

Anonymous wrote:If money was no object, what would schools look like today? How would they do things differently?

1) I think teacher training should be more like what doctors go through.
2) I think there would be 2 shifts of teachers. 7-3 and 10-6. And the early morning and late afternoon would allow kids to join clubs or explore other interests.
3) teachers would have secretaries. You don't have lawyers making their own copies, why should teachers?

I think the fundamentals would be different. The state benefits from an educated population, so I think public schools would still take all comers, however, I think we’d make school attendance voluntary (and perhaps incentivized) rather than compulsory. We just don’t have a society that buys in to a compulsory model anymore—we don’t enforce truancy laws against parents / school aged kids. We could have a society that would send their kids to school ready to learn if incentivized (read: parents were paid) to do so. Increase the compensation paid of the kid scores in the top half / top 25% for their school on standardized tests. Also increase the compensation for parents making less than median income, and further increase it if they are in the bottom quarter. Those changes could fundamentally alter how folks (ie parents) view and value an education (for their kids).

We’d have all corporate sponsored generic schools so WalMart Elementary #3, Amazon High School #17, etc


Hey wait maybe that’s not such a bad idea!

The factory model that predominates American education would not exist. I think schools would like a lot like Montessori schools.

Anonymous wrote:If money was no object, what would schools look like today? How would they do things differently?

1) I think teacher training should be more like what doctors go through.
2) I think there would be 2 shifts of teachers. 7-3 and 10-6. And the early morning and late afternoon would allow kids to join clubs or explore other interests.
3) teachers would have secretaries. You don't have lawyers making their own copies, why should teachers?

I 100% agree. Except for the addition of teaching aides at a 1:8 aide: kid ratio (kids with IEPs need separate aides not included in that count). No more than 24 kids per class. No per-teacher secretary, but each department gets a secretary. Admin must be in the classroom as a substitute 20 days per school year and maintain a teaching license.

minimum 90 minutes of free play/recess for MS and HS. minimum 120 minutes for ES.

The high school I attended doesn’t school buses. It was very high FARMs, and all the public housing complexes were in an area at the top of a steep hills 4 miles away from the school. In a geographically large rust belt city. There was a slight discount on public bus transportation for students but many families still couldn’t afford it. Cold climate from late September to May. School had some of the highest truancy rates in the area. I wonder why.

My family lived 1 mile from the school and I got rides often.

So hopefully a better situation that that!

Anonymous wrote:Schools would not be invented today, they would be derided as socialism and un-American and then whichever politician suggested the idea would have a 24 hour news network out for their blood for being a communist or something until one of their unhinged viewers tried to kill them. The end.

I think there would be a core free set of hours—maybe 4—with “public private partnerships” doing “supplementation” before and after core hours, for a very hefty fee. $2k/mo on up.

Anonymous wrote:Schools would not be invented today, they would be derided as socialism and un-American and then whichever politician suggested the idea would have a 24 hour news network out for their blood for being a communist or something until one of their unhinged viewers tried to kill them. The end.

Correct

There wouldn’t be public libraries, instate public universities or rec public sports leagues either

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If money was no object, what would schools look like today? How would they do things differently?

1) I think teacher training should be more like what doctors go through.
2) I think there would be 2 shifts of teachers. 7-3 and 10-6. And the early morning and late afternoon would allow kids to join clubs or explore other interests.
3) teachers would have secretaries. You don't have lawyers making their own copies, why should teachers?

Except at most firms 6-8 lawyers share a secretary and they only do work for the partners so associates do make their own copies.


But I do think year round with maybe August off. 8-4. More clubs, sports, and other activities. Extended through 7:00 for maybe a fee -- dinner included.

Yup lawyers barely have secretaries anymore and when I was a kid receptionists often made copies for teachers (I remember being sent to the office with an original).

Schools would not be invented today, they would be derided as socialism and un-American and then whichever politician suggested the idea would have a 24 hour news network out for their blood for being a communist or something until one of their unhinged viewers tried to kill them. The end.

Public school teacher starting pay would be $100k no matter where in the U.S. you are. Becoming a teacher would be as competitive as becoming an MD.

The most successful school systems in the world do train their teachers as professionals, trusts them as professionals, pays them as professionals, and demands that they perform as professionals.

So, I agree with your idea about training.

Anonymous wrote:If money was no object, what would schools look like today? How would they do things differently?

1) I think teacher training should be more like what doctors go through.
2) I think there would be 2 shifts of teachers. 7-3 and 10-6. And the early morning and late afternoon would allow kids to join clubs or explore other interests.
3) teachers would have secretaries. You don't have lawyers making their own copies, why should teachers?

Except at most firms 6-8 lawyers share a secretary and they only do work for the partners so associates do make their own copies.


But I do think year round with maybe August off. 8-4. More clubs, sports, and other activities. Extended through 7:00 for maybe a fee -- dinner included.

That’s brilliant…teachers having secretaries and the two shifts, as well.

If money was no object, what would schools look like today? How would they do things differently?

1) I think teacher training should be more like what doctors go through.
2) I think there would be 2 shifts of teachers. 7-3 and 10-6. And the early morning and late afternoon would allow kids to join clubs or explore other interests.
3) teachers would have secretaries. You don't have lawyers making their own copies, why should teachers?