What value are children getting from the current education model?

I find myself with a question, do children today receive any value from the traditional education system?

It was not too long ago that children were working in factories producing wares during the industrial revolution and boom in the consumer market, under hazardous conditions and with very little upside. In certain parts of the world this is still unfortunately daily occurrence.

Some children were more fortunate, those who worked for Robert Owen for example, Robert owned a cotton mill in Lanark, Scotland he built the village of New Lanark for his workers. They had access to schools, doctors and even a house for each family who worked in the mills.

In 1833 the government passed the Factory act to improve working conditions for children, it would take many decades before any real change took place. 1869 and 1870 seem to be the fork in the road that set the wheels in motion for a compulsory education system.

1869 was the year the newly founded National Education League campaigned for free, compulsory and non-religious education for all children, I can imagine this ruffled a few feathers amongst those who benefited from the cheap child labour.
Surprisingly, though the very same industrialists that benefited from the system for decades were in support of the campaign expressing views that mass education was vital to the nation’s ability to maintain its lead in manufacturing, this support carried considerable weight in parliament. (go figure)

A bill that covered many, not all of the wishes introduced by W.E Forster passed.

This bill became the very first piece of legislation with the provision of education in 1870, named the Foresters Act (education act) that set up school boards to provide schooling.

This was supported by the assisted education act in 1891 that funded each child allowing schools to stop having to charge fees.

From this baseline, children in the Victorian era certainly benefited from the many education acts that came about in the mid 1800’s to early 1900. Children went from working 60+ hours per week in dangerous conditions to class rooms and relative safety.

Society also benefited, as the population became more educated, new industries and higher levels of productivity were made possible.

Children today are required to remain in compulsory education till they’re 17 after the age was changed in 2008, closing the gap on America’s requirements of 18.

Well the curriculum and teaching styles have not varied in many generations, the difference between my grandad’s schooling and my own are almost comparable, well I was never hit with a cane so there has been some progress.

Our phones have seen more innovation than our compulsory learning experiences, the realities of 21st century living are vastly different to those of the 1800’s.

I struggle to see who benefits from this current iteration of the education system. Employers are crying out in frustration that their current and future employees lack the fundamental skills and ability to learn for the jobs that are available, and more importantly are becoming available as technology is moving so fast. Matt Beaudreau, talks about this during his 11 minute Tedx talk, he also speaks about his education platform Acton Academy.

Teachers and parents alike are also experiencing burnout, when I was doing my degree a number of my university friends were training to become teachers. They certainly did not last longer than 2 years in the system before changing industries or to an alternative education system.

I am fascinated by this system having experienced the issues that are not only present within the UK, I also faced similar problems during my student abroad year at an American University.

Before we address the current areas of weakness within the system it is important for us to take a moment to express gratitude for everything education has brought to us, I for one am very grateful that a rise in education brings about more creativity and productivity, amongst other critical benefits.

The free market is already trying to combat the issues with education. In a previous article I mentioned Elon musk’s school Astra Nova, now Jeff Bezos is creating a free, nonprofit preschool program starting in Houston.
Major Sylvester in a release called the partnership “ a game changer” for low-come families. “Underserved children will have access to education that inspires their creativity and challenges them to succeed in the classroom.

Houston city council member Karla Cisneros mentions that the partnership will help support the development and success of some of the city’s neediest children and help the future workforce be prepared for jobs. “We are helping women get back to work, and we are giving young children a good shot at a better life”

I will be very interested to see how this partnership matches up against the more government funded schools in the coming years. I have no doubts that this partnership will be controversial, given Jeff Bezos’s public perception however, I will let the data, and ultimately the child development doing the talking.

I have no credentials within the education field, what I do have is experience with the issues, observations and what I have been learning. So the following is merely my thoughts on increasing the value education has for children.

Student led learning

Children should be in the driving seat more during their learning experience, they become more engaged in the process when they’re doing it for themselves and not to pass some standardized exam at the end of the term.

The terribly named “unschooling model” addresses this, it gives the child more autonomy over their learning, however in some cases it can be taken to the extremes so some form of structure could be implemented.

In a school setting, older children could be involved in school meetings, as a representative of the stakeholder that is being served.

a quote that I believe sums up the current situation is as follow “control leads to compliance, autonomy leads to engagement.”- Daniel H. Pink

we are trying to build a society of engaged, creative and hopefully happy individuals not robots.

Micro-schooling/resource centre's

I like the thought of resource centre's, where children can pop in and out of if they’re home-schooling for example, well stocked with books, knowledgeable experts, co working spaces, multi-media centres for students to learn online creation for example.
One example that comes to mind is Acton Academy, they are an education centre that is well equipped, students have the opportunities to learn about mindset, learn from a project based approach and ultimately they learn critical skills and Emotional intelligence.

Micro schools also seem to be popping up across America, some of which are using the Classical education model (Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric) that can be taught from a religious context. Whilst this idea is not new, it could offer potential. As I stated in my previous article, there will not be a one size fits all approach, drawing the best practices from multiple models to create your own working model seems like the go to strategy, and then iterate as you learn.

An argument could also be raised regarding students enrolment at universities, especially over the past 2 years are they getting value for money? With tuition rates through the roof, and no guarantee of graduate level jobs should we be reframing from pushing this as the dominant route all children should be taking? There are after all other routes like trade schools, apprenticeships and internships that for the majority may be more suited.

Whilst I enjoyed my university experience, had other options such as an internship been widely available and financially viable I may have preferred that option. I certainly did not get value for money.

In the near future, I dream of opening my own resource learning centre, that would also have a virtual component, so that learning can continue in the home environment. The key to this centre would be operating a student led learning experience that is centred around project based learning, bringing in mindset, emotional EQ, community and collaboration amongst several other core focuses. For younger children the learning approach would involve more play, story (see this article on the value of stories), learning through immersion and games.

I feel a technological approach, perhaps involving the Metaverse and gamification will also play a major factor within this idea. My plan however requires solidifying my ideas and learning from the linchpins within the overall education industry.

I leave you with a closing quote.

“Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom.” — George Washington Carver