Who Else Wants a More Informed Citizenry?

The key to a more informed citizenry starts with ignoring the well-meaning advice of self-help gurus, regarding education.

The Emerging View

If you spend any time ingesting self-help literature, vlogs, podcasts, or blogs, you will encounter the phrase “[insert topic] should be taught in school”. The (non-exhaustive) list of topics includes everything from financial management to mindfulness.

The Fallacy

Authors seem to promote a grocery store approach to education. Schools should assemble a multitude of topics in a large room and every child (we presume) is supposed to taste every item. Little consideration is given to topics which, like mathematics, must be taught over several iterations. (One aspect of a given topic builds on the next.) Furthermore, no concern is given to the fact that a system’s (potential) points of failure increase with the systems increased complexity. (When something goes wrong, the system’s complexity makes troubleshooting more difficult.)

Alternate View

Instead of stacking on topics that make our education system and its processes more complex, let’s streamline things and think like a Unix developer. This thinking entails the following:

• Get clear on the objective.  The education system deals in the “goods of the mind”. Its goal is to enrich our minds, lift us above the plane of animal existence, and assist us in opening the door to the wisdom needed for the good conduct of our lives.
• Define the scope.  Acknowledge that no one system can do everything. There are time and budget constraints. Therefore, one must decide what the system will and will not do towards accomplishing the overall objective. (This step involves making tradeoffs!)
• Use modular design.  Design each module in the system to do one thing well! Doing so makes it easier to identify and troubleshoot issues should they arise; it makes the system easier to alter. If it is true that teaching imaginative literature, mathematics, natural science, history, social science, philosophy, and theology is the pathway towards achieving our objective, then develop each course so it tracks back to the objective.
• Recognize interfacing entities.  The education system is a subsystem of a larger societal system; it integrates with other institutions – families, civic organizations, and religious organizations. Define the inputs from and outputs to the other entities. (Respect boundaries. Do not duplicate the efforts of the other entities. Collaborate with the other entities.)
• Know your team.  Like the rest of us, school teachers are specialists. Their core competencies are in one or maybe two areas. Pushing them beyond their core competencies may render them ineffective and their outputs mediocre.

Synopsis (From the Unix Developer’s View Point)

If the system is effective (doing the right things) and efficient (doing things right) it will produce citizens that will work to inform themselves. No adjustments are needed. If it is not, on the other hand, system administrators must clear out the clutter before they can identify the problem(s)…remove anything that does not lead to the fulfillment of the objective. Once that is done, one can quickly pinpoint the issue(s) and troubleshoot the problem(s).

Do these ideas seem sound to you? What do you think?