Degrees of freedom
Does a college degree confer the ability to choose, to open the door to find a way to matter?
Three years ago I gave this TEDx talk about the future of education.
And the students who graduated from college this month each have an average of $35,000 in debt. For many people, this debt is debilitating. Instead of opening doors, it slams them shut.
Talented teachers and passionate students are the victims of an industrialized educational system, one that cares a great deal about standardized tests and famous brand-name institutions.
It's time to ask why. And to keep asking why until we figure out what school is actually for.
The education system continues to head in one direction, but each day, more of those it proclaims it seeks to serve (students, parents, taxpayers) are realizing that the system ought to be doing something quite different. And differently.