While the general model of public education in this country
was developed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the way
in which school children acquire knowledge has changed dramatically. When was the
last time that you used an encyclopedia? What about a card catalogue in the
library? When was the last time that
students took a standardized math test without a computer or calculator? The
list goes on. Classrooms have gone from having one computer in each class to
laptops or Ipads for everyone. When you think about this revolution, there is a
disconnect. Here in the twenty-first century, schools are still organized much
as they were in last century, paralleling the assembly line factories that
fueled the Industrial Revolution. There are twelve grades, the school year
lasts about 180 days, student must have a certain number of credits to graduate
from high school, and so on.( And-as I previously wrote about- the nature and
design of homework.)
Paralleling the acquisition of knowledge is the curriculum-
the “what” that is being taught. According to the proponents of E.D Hirsch’s Cultural Literacy, there is a specific
body of knowledge that every American school student should know. Hirsch
developed a dictionary of some 5000 items that encompass a broad range of
topics from mathematics and civics, to art, music and literature. One of the
problems with this theory is that it assumes that students have been exposed to
a variety of cultural experiences that enhance their vocabulary and general
fund of knowledge. This places many minority students at a distinct
disadvantage. Other educators will note that they are teaching whatever needs
to be taught for “THE TEST.”
At some point the logistics of school curriculum and structure
must come up to speed with the technology, so our students can be successful in
both the classroom and in life.
c.2015 J. Margolis
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