How can we improve education?

Over the weekend we were asked to watch a couple TED talks and read a couple articles on inspiring ideas. I am sitting here thinking, "what am I really passionate about that needs to change?" There are so many great ideas out there about what needs changed in the educational world. Well, here is my idea...



Every single year teachers hear the same phrases about standardized testing. Don't teach for the test, teach for your students. Teachers think of this constantly in their classroom, but how can they teach for their students when they have to pass a state standardized test that isn't based on what you actually need for the real world? Don't get me wrong, these tests are an important part of education, but do they really show the true value a student has? We could think of it this way. High school seniors are graduating with the knowledge of trigonometry, but not how to properly balance a checkbook. They know the importance of the government, but do they know how to vote? Do they really know how to put the facts together and vote for who they think should be in office to run our country?

Students lose their creativity and sense of being in the school system today. Teachers are shoving this knowledge into their brains just to pass an exam. An exam that doesn't have any value to students once they graduate. Students are loosing precious time on learning

Students know how to do all the technical math problems and writing out of high school. But think of it this way...

How different would our world be today if kids graduated from high school learning to be an informed citizen instead of just learning to pass a test?