How to Inject Choice and Valuable Skills into Education

What should real education reform look like? Jim Geraghty of National Review says the education system needs a total overhaul, and he has some suggestions:

– Real school choice: Why are parents limited in their choices of schools? All parents, says Geraghty, should be able to send their child to any school — anywhere — if the school will accept him. With parents and students as consumers, the best-performing schools would thrive, while poor schools would have to clean up their act, or fail.
– Trade schools: Does everyone need a college degree? No, says Geraghty. Trade schools — where students can learn needed skills — prepare students for the workplace and teach them how to master a trade, without the college price tag.
– Let businesses create schools: Geraghty suggests that allowing corporations to start their own schools would solve a problem that many businesses claim to face — a lack of prepared workers. He suggests that a “Ford Academy of Automotive Engineering,” for example, could offer standard core subjects while allowing students specialized training in a specific area.

Beyond these reforms, Geraghty stresses that parents and families play a vital role in a child’s ultimate success, writing that a safe and supportive home life is critical to a child’s achievement.

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