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Tom Butler of St. Ann, MO asks:
As a classroom teacher of 20 years and now a curriculum coordinator, I see a
system that is increasingly irrelevant to students. It is not that what we
teach is not useful, students just don't see the use for it immediately and
thus regard it as irrelevant. What can or what should we do to make
education more relevant to our students?
Marc S. Tucker, president of the National Center of Education and Economy, responds:
What our students have learned is that it is possible to go to something
called college (actually a majority of the places called "college") or to
get
a job with only a high school diploma. In most school districts, only an
eighth grade level of literacy is needed to get a high school diploma, and
most students who stay in high school have that when they arrive in high
school. So what is the point of taking a tough course or studying hard?
Only those planning to go to a selective college have any incentive to take
tough courses or work hard in high school. In other nations, most high
school students work much harder because there is a point to it. One cannot
get into college without passing exams that are intended to determine
whether
the student can actually do college level work. And, in many nations,
access
to good jobs requiring only a high school diploma is determined by the
courses the student took, the grades that were earned, the marks on national
exams and the recommendations of the student's teachers. No wonder high
school is seen by these students as more relevant and they are willing to
work hard in high school. They see how they do in high school as directly
related to what they want for themselves when they leave high school.
Gerry Wheeler, the executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, responds:
No matter the subject, the issue of relevance is a
responsibility and a challenge for every teacher.
These are being met in classrooms across the country by
women and men who love the subject they teach and, by
their example, inspire their students to feel the same.
Science teachers invite students to explore the world
around them. Involving young people actively in
hands-on learning and in helping them to understand a
limited number of topics that are relevant to their
everyday lives makes the question "Is it relevant?"
non-relevant.
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