Slides on the quick fixes attempted in American education.

1. “ Schools were never meant to be a place where parents could drop off their kids at age 5 and pick them up 13 years later as fully developed adults.” Jamie Vollmer Local Control Project

2. How did this happen?

3. We allowed people to take us down many unmarked paths . . .

4. we couldn’t say no! As the world changed, the public wanted schools to add programs to “fix” the change, and . . .

5. Here is Vollmer’s list of programs that were added to our plates, while we were asked to educate children:

6. Public Education 1900 – 1920 In addition to the 3-R’s: We added: Nutrition, Health, and Immunization

7. 1920 - 1940 We added . . . Vocational Ed. Practical Arts Physical Ed. School Lunch

8. 1960’s Consumer Career Peace Leisure Recreation Education We added…

9. 1970’s Special Ed. Drug/Alcohol Ed. Parent Ed. Character Ed. School breakfast programs

12. And in the new millennium, we have added . . . Terrorist prevention Internet crime prevention Obesity prevention Sexual predator alerts

13. “ America’s democracy and economic security have been driven by creativity and determination, and our education system has helped us pave the way. The hours spent in school during the K-12 years are more than just moments in time. They are the basis for future success and better lives than those of our parents. They are the building blocks for the society of tomorrow and the promise of a democracy stronger than the one we have today.” Elena Rocha Center for American Progress