The pandemic is forcing all of us to reexamine long-held views on our two-century-old education system. Schools don’t match today’s culture or technology, as evidenced by the struggle adapting to at-home requirements mandated by governors. Yet people have access to new tools and, more than ever before, they have the power to transform their own lives and the lives of others — if we strip away the barriers that limit their possibilities.
We face challenges that are best addressed by shifting away from a top-down approach that sees people as problems to be solved and toward bottom-up solutions that empower everyone to realize their potential.
For decades, government policy has focused on how to get better results from an education system that hasn’t seen any significant changes in generations. The results? On national and international benchmarks, U.S. students have flatlined because we have a system that has doubled down on standardization rather than focusing on individualization and how to tap into the potential of every student.
As a result, millions of students reach high school disengaged and, according to the Department of Education, 19% of graduates are functionally illiterate, which means they can’t read well enough to manage daily living and perform tasks required by many jobs.
We know that every child is different, with unique gifts, talents, weaknesses, and interests. Treating each one the same, like a replaceable cog or widget in some machine, does a disservice to all. It robs students of their best chance to find what excites their interest and what will motivate them to be lifelong learners.
But innovative ideas are starting to take hold. For example, our Healthcorps.org programs work with schools to “educate the student body” by teaching teenagers about their bodies and minds. Bringing energetic recent college graduates into schools provides life-changing mentoring to teens.
We are just one of many social entrepreneurs offering novel solutions to calcified systems, as encouraged by the provocative new book from New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Charles Koch, Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World. Written with Brian Hooks, chairman and CEO of Stand Together, the philanthropic community founded by Koch, Believe in People is a blend of call-to-action and eye-opening evidence, offering a new approach to dealing with some of the most prominent issues our country faces today, including education.
Believe in People outlines specific ways we can all play a role in ensuring the best education for our children and our communities. Currently, we aren’t teaching children the fundamentals. We are teaching them that if they fail a math fraction or a spelling test in fourth grade, it will follow them throughout their education. We need to give students the freedom to learn life skills and skills for success. It’s time for all of us to begin to talk about how we can solve that.
When it comes to the weakness in our educational system, it would be a pointless waste to try to find a culprit. There’s plenty of blame to go around. The point is that each of us is part of the solution.
You might be a teacher who recognizes our children can do better, or a parent searching for better options, or simply someone who sees that America is better off when the next generation thrives. Each of us can be part of pushing toward a better way, so roll up your sleeves and choose a challenge.
Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) is an attending physician at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and board member of Healthcorps.org.
