Mal Education - System Design - Should Be VS Is

The problem we face is <u><i><b>not</b></i></u> that my hypothetical Hyper School does not exist. Parts of it already do, in fact. Many private schools expresses some elements of it. Many 'alterative' public schools do too (magnet and charter schools). Home schooling expresses some other parts of it.

But these are all parts of the monopoly system that is at the root of the problem.

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Why are colleges so much less of a problem than K-12? Why do they perform so well when K-12 does not? Because the politicians have not figured out (yet) how to force everyone to go to a specific one as with K-12. (A slight exaggeration. But only slight.)

You and your family and others that you choose to include decide if you will go, when you will go and where you will go. And if you get there and you don't like it, you can switch.

Make K-12 more like that, and watch the problems melt away.

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The internet expresses many elements of a good general educational system. Maybe our system design efforts should look at it as a starting point? But we still have to figure out how to remove the hands of the greedy politicians from our pockets, so even the poor can afford whatever answers we find.

<b>[shando] "The Platinum Rule requires me to infer what you like/want"

LB:That is the hard way (because you will probably get it wrong, no matter how much research you do.)

Actually, all you have to do is ask me.
</b>

Hmmm ... that might work, unless:

1. you don't know what you want from me.
2. you won't tell me.
3. you don't know that you don't know what you want from me.
4. what you want is not what you need from me.
5. you are incapacitated and cannot speak.
6. I don't want you to know that I intend to "treat" you.
7. etc.

If I'm that much of a basket case, you <s>will probably</s> should just walk away and ignore me. If you do not treat me at all, then you are not treating me contrary to my wishes.

LB,

As I said, my suggestion was very limited in effect and results, just a stop-gap method do-able under the present system. Don't have anything to criticize on anyone's remarks, all well to the point.

I agree the whole system could use a major change. So,

Re: your Hyper School. I'd like to try to move beyond the visionary/abstract to more of the practical/concrete.

As I understand steps 1-5, you'll have Hyper School websites with videos on subjects taught in the BEST schools and/or by the BEST teachers. It is not clear if these are videos BY the BEST teachers (ala the Great Courses audio CDs) or just the subjects they teach.
Regardless, how are these BEST determined?

Also, who, exactly, creates these original Hyper School websites? Since step 7 allows others to use the videos and clone the sites, it appears the Hyper School itself is kind of proprietary.

Ken

The more you learn, the less you know--I don't want to know anything.

<b>[KeLP] "It is not clear if these are videos BY the BEST teachers (ala the Great Courses audio CDs) or just the subjects they teach.

Regardless, how are these BEST determined?"</b>

Good question.

Any suggestions?

LB

Proprietary seems appropriate. It allows for the control needed to maintain quality and any other standards that the creators see as important. But that doesn't stop anyone else from designing and offering a different approach.

I'm visualizing something along the lines of the 'open source' approach from the software world. Open source software is frequently but not always offered for free. Or with a free version and a subscription upgrade version.

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Think of it as 'free market <u>socialism</u>' rather than 'free market capitalism'. The rich pay more (but for a better product) so the poor can afford to participate.

Best of all it is 100% voluntary, as you would expect in a free and just society. No monopoly agencies.


LB