How We Can Improve Education for the Next Generation (Part 2)

By Becky Newell, State Coordinator (West FL) on 06/07/2011 @ 10:52 AM

Tags: West

First published in Naples Daily News on June 5, 2011.

■ Second of two parts

By Allen Weiss, M.D.
CEO, NCH Healthcare System

How has our nation — the greatest on Earth — gotten itself into this position? Are we too affluent, after our unrivaled years of post World War II growth?

In March 2010 the Or­ganization for Economic Cooperation and Develop­ment reported that only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico have lower high school completion rates than America, where approximately 70 percent of our students graduate high school. Employ­ers are frustrated by not being able to hire competent workers of any type.

One reason for the sagging performance of the educational system is the epidemic growth of the dysfunctional family. With an agricultural economy where survival depended on intact and functional families, there was much less dysfunction. Today, the dysfunctional home is a real and growing problem in America.

■ One in two children live in a single-par­ent family at some point in their childhood. More than half of all youths incarcerated for criminal acts lived in one-parent families when they were children.

■ One in three children are born to un­married parents, and one in four lives with only one parent.

■ Teenagers account for one of eight mothers with seven out of 10 American children currently living in “nontraditional” families according to the Rainbows Foun­dation.

■ Children of divorced parents are seven times more likely to suffer from depres­sion.

■ Seventy-five percent of children/ado­lescents in chemical dependency hospitals are from single-parent families; 20 percent have learning, emotional or behavioral problems.

These sobering statistics may potentially drain the creative energy of our next genera­tion. And that, too, is a scary thought.

Nine million American children face risk factors that may hinder their ability to become healthy, educated and economi­cally productive adults. About one in seven children deal with at least four of the risk factors, one of which includes growing up in a single-parent household. Surveys also indicate that children confronting several risk factors are more likely to experience problems with concentration, communica­tion and health.

So the real question is: What can we do about it?

Solving a national crisis

There are many interrelated solutions. And Americans are still “can-do” optimists who can solve even the most complex, interrelated, long-standing and multigen­erational problems. So a solution formula might include the following:

■ Empower the multitude of expert edu­cators in our midst.

We need to support, not undermine them.

Just because most of us were or are students doesn’t mean that we are experts on the educational process. Professionals trained in the educational processes who understand child development, classroom theory, behavioral patterns and other sciences associated with efficient and effective learning need to be empowered.

■ Get involved.

We, as students, parents, grandparents/ relatives, friends, business community and individual citizens, must be involved. We have so much retired talent with the intellect, ability and credibility to do good for everyone. The quote, “We make a living by what we make, we make a life by what we give,” has been variously attributed to Sir Winston Churchill or Norman Kennedy or Will Rogers. No matter who said it, we should take it to heart.

■ Examine and answer the key questions.

How can we leverage our best teachers’ abilities? Online learning has taken on a new life. Home schooling is growing exponentially. Experts need to examine, recommend and then measure change. If we are improving, continue. If not, then start something new. Most importantly, be transparent. State objectives, define measures, execute new strategies and then reassess. We need to be in a persistent, positive, virtuous cycle.

Do we need more time on task? We must learn from other nations whose economic development is rapidly exceeding ours and whose growth in their real domestic economy seems to parallel their objective improvement in educational metrics.

■ Demand higher standards and reward higher achievements for students as well as teachers.

Realistic, objective goals need to be set at all lev els for everyone. Being involved means being responsible for turning out a quality product. This is what has driven school-system change in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Whether we are training knowledge workers or in-person service workers or routine production workers, we have to create the best workers to compete in this global economy.

■ Rethink the traditional family.

Should we have two-working-parent families? Are we suffering from “affluenza”? How can we use this painful recession to get us motivated? The problems with the nuclear family are real and multigenerational. Focusing on the root cause of many of our educational challenges — namely, the family unit — may have a higher return than many of our other efforts. Investing in early childhood development has shown time and again to have the greatest return on investment. No matter what is done nationally, locally we can and should do bett er. One of our goals should be to become a net exporter of talent — routine production, in-person service and symbolic-analytical. All are necessary for a robust, competitive economy.

Ensuring the fruits of education for a future generation

Eons ago, so the parable goes, an old man labored to plant a fruit tree by the road. A nobleman, riding by, stopped and chided the old man, “Why are you planting this fruit tree? It will take years for it to bear fruit and you have only a short time left on this Earth.”

The old man replied, “I’ve enjoyed fruit all my life that others have planted. Now it is my turn to do the same for the next generation.”

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.

Those of us who can, let’s continue to improve the quality of the educa tion we provide so that today’s young people may also experience the fruits to which our generation has been privileged to enjoy.