Please read Saving American Children – Part 1.

What should be the primary objectives of competent U.S. public K-12 schools?

Good question, as this is a highly debated topic. Many hundreds of articles, reports, and books have been written on this matter.

IMO one of the main reasons that the US education system is in a quagmire, is that we have not fully and properly addressed this fundamental question. As a result, the States end up being pushed Left — as the Left has a very aggressive, well-coordinated K-12 education strategy (e.g., Next Generation Science Standards).

One good answer to this question is that schools should teach their students to be productive, healthy, happy citizens. Sounds good, but what does that translate to?

Let me suggest some major objectives in their approximate order of priority:

1. How to Think (being a Critical Thinker),
2. Functional Basics (the 3 R’s),
3. Knowledge (covering a wide range of topics),
4. Curiosity (a desire to learn more),
5. Communication Skills (to better convey ideas, etc.),
6. Empathy (sensitivity to others),
7. Teamwork (cooperatively working together),
8. Flexibility (to adapt to changing situations),
9. Patriotism (appreciate the sacrifices of our forefathers),
10. Foster Interests (for each child).

Again, the most important one is the first! In fact, if you consider things carefully, almost all of the others depend on the ability to do Critical Thinking!

An interesting survey (February 2024) of States that have published their K-12 education priorities, concluded that the top one is Critical Thinking! (See Figure 1. Most Commonly Cited Skills & Competencies.)

Note 1: Be forewarned that just because a State says that Critical Thinking is prioritized, it doesn’t mean they are actually doing it! For example, my home state of NC officially declares that Critical Thinking is a top priority — but I could find no evidence that Critical Thinking was being prioritized (properly taught and utilized). On the other hand, I found considerable evidence that the opposite is being taught.

The opposite of Critical Thinking is to teach children to conform: defer to experts, be politically correct, adhere to consensus opinions, accept without question what computer programs say, ignore inconvenient facts, etc., etc.

Note 2: I am specifically de-emphasizing “readiness for college,” as readiness for life should be a much more important priority. Further, college has gone downhill over the last few decades (while becoming much more expensive), so it makes more sense than ever before for many high school graduates to forego college.

Note 3: My list purposefully minimizes teaching values (e.g., responsibility), as the primary sources for such education should be parents. A supplement to that is to send children to private schools. [A major distinction between public and private schools is that values (e.g., Judeo-Christian standards) are taught in the latter.]

Why not teach values in public schools? Because they are petrified of having any traditional religion (e.g., Judeo-Christian) connections (separation of church and state). The main way public schools fill this value void, is by teaching atheism — even though technically that is a religion. The other primary result is that relativism is endorsed, which is actually the opposite of teaching values, as it effectively says that there are no value standards, as everything is relative.

In other words, when public schools attempt to teach values (think SEL), they not only contradict the Judeo-Christian standards that were the basis of our country, but the children are worse off than if the schools had stayed out of the value arena.

I think that there is merit to this assessment:

Many American schools follow a strictly economics-based model. This kind of economic-driven model emphasizes certification, centralization, and standardization. In this system, students are subject to a rigorous and often inflexible curriculum to advance numeracy, literacy, and science skills. The ultimate purpose of an economics-driven education system is to form productive workers. While success in the job market should be one of the top priorities of any school, a truly high-skilled workforce can only be generated if schools address all facets of student development.

To sum up: We need to discuss and agree on the primary objectives of competent US public K-12 schools, or else it will continue to be dictated by Left-leaning activists. (Critical Thinking MUST be a primary objective.) The most practical way to initiate this is to have one State set a good example for other States to emulate. (I’m working on North Carolina to be such a state.)

Some Resources:

What Is Education For?

The Purpose of K-12 Education

Should US Public Schools be Teaching SEL?

Principles Of Child Centered Education

The purpose of a K-12 education: Who decides and how do we get there?

What is the Goal of the American Education System?

The Purpose of K-12 Public Education Today: Readiness for College, Career & Life

Report: Education, K-12

©2024. John Droz, Jr. All rights reserved.

Here are other materials by this scientist that you might find interesting:

Check out the Archives of this Critical Thinking substack.

WiseEnergy.org: discusses the Science (or lack thereof) behind our energy options.

C19Science.info: covers the lack of genuine Science behind our COVID-19 policies.

Election-Integrity.info: multiple major reports on the election integrity issue.

Media Balance Newsletter: a free, twice-a-month newsletter that covers what the mainstream media does not do, on issues from COVID to climate, elections to education, renewables to religion, etc. Here are the Newsletter’s 2023 Archives. Please send me an email to get your free copy. When emailing me, please make sure to include your full name and the state where you live. (Of course, you can cancel the Media Balance Newsletter at any time – but why would you?