Hell yes! Everything's possible, especially since we already know how.
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is “the world’s largest international comparative survey of 15-year-old students, assessing … science, mathematics and reading". Out of 81 countries, the latest 2022 survey ranked U.S. students:
- 9th in reading
- 16th in science
- 34th in math
In a previous post we looked at how we got here. Now, let's see how to fix it:
Natasha Hakimi Zapata is the author of Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe. Such as: universal health care in the UK, public housing in Singapore, and biodiversity protection in Costa Rica.
Then there's education in Finland. That's where Zapata found universal, publicly-funded, tuition-free, high-quality basic education for everyone ages 7 to 16. From 17 to 18 there's a choice of upper secondary school or vocational school, also free.
Why this works? (1) a Master's degree is required for teachers above kindergarten level, for which (good news!) they can attend university for free, and (2) student testing is designed mainly for teachers and principals to find gaps in their curriculum, to help them improve their programs. Why not try this in America?
Finland’s solution was universal, meaning public. In These Schools Belong to You and Me: Why We Can’t Afford to Abandon Our Public Schools, authors Deborah Meier and Emily Gasoi make the case for investing in public, not private, schools.
Where America has increasingly become a nation of haves and have not’s, the movement to privatize education will further widen this gap. Programs like federal funding for tuition vouchers, market influence on school offerings, and private interests in education policies serve only the privileged few. That’s unsustainable for a healthy democracy, where everyone needs to feel they have a good opportunity to succeed in life.
That Librarian by Amanda Jones is a great example of what we're wasting time doing instead of fixing America's schools.
In 2022, Jones spoke out against book banning in her Louisiana parish and unintentionally became an anti-censorship advocate. It's a role she's since embraced, despite backlash and personal attacks against her by conservative organizations. Their goal is schools that teach only straight “Christian” values while excluding everything else.
This is her story of fighting back and standing up for intellectual freedom. For our children, it all starts in school.
Find these books at your local indie bookstore or at our online Karmalize Bookshop.
PC cover photo: Caleb Oquendo
“Make It Make Sense” is our way of sharing ideas that go beyond simplistic stereotypical answers to big issues, starting with the UN SDGs. Through this we hope to promote curiosity and understanding of diverse ideas.