Rebuilding High Schools

AG: Here is my formula for transforming America's schools into institutions that produce well-educated people capable of significant intellectual achievement.

1. Eliminate inter-school sports. Leave city-wide basketball, football, track, etc. competitions to the Parks and Recreation departments. In fact, eliminate gym all together. "Everything worth doing is not worth doing at school." Kids need excersize; they can do that after school at facilities devoted to it. K - 6 can have recess. But that's it.

2. Require teachers to have degrees in core academic subjects (math, literature, etc.), not "education" degrees.

3. Eliminate compulsary attendance. Students who refuse to participate must leave.

4. K - 12 grades, eliminate all non-academic activities, including field trips and career awareness seminars. All reading, writing, and math all day long. This will reduce or eliminate homework, and give kids plenty of time after school hours to participate in sports leagues, or other forms of recreational excercise of their choosing.

5. 9 - 12, create three sorts of schools:

5.A High Schools, wherein students study the academic subjects ONLY: Math, Science, Literature, Writing, History, Second Language, Music Instrument. Nothing else; no electives.

5.B Trade Schools, wherein students who refuse to participate in High Schools will take a few mild classes in Reading, Writing, and Math (ie, the courses now taught at so-called "High" schools), plus various trades, from which they can choose: Welding, Web Building, Construction, Cooking, etc. Something that will qualify the students for a job.

5.C Day Care Centers, for students who refuse to participate in High Schools or Trade Schools. Students here can goof off all day without bothering productive people. These centers would include facilities for students who voluntarily want to work their way back into High Schools or Trade Schools. People who want to "give back to the community" by staging Self-Esteem and Career Awareness Seminars can go make themselves feel good by addressing these kids; they may not disturb the High School or Trade School kids who are working to develop intellectual resources.

6. Now that we have required teachers to have real degrees, and are forcing them to devote all day meaningful intellectual activities, we can give them all 100% raises.

7. School Vouchers.