Reading the chapter “The Broken Model” from The One World Schoolhouse by Salman Khan offered important insights into the history and intent behind the structure of education in the United States. It was modeled after the system used in Prussia, with the intention of While on a small level it brought equity because more students had access to education that might have been limited to the wealthy who could afford tutors in the past, it also served to make compliant citizens, compartmentalize educational topics, and interrupt discussion and thought.
This reading and video, "A Short History of Public Schooling," made me want to learn more about how children learned in the United States before the introduction of the Prussian model. What was the value of that education? Did it provide equity in some ways? I also wonder if models are currently being used in other countries that are more aligned with education, for the sake of expanding thought and benefiting society (not capitalism). Most countries do focus on education as indoctrination, but are there other models that could be helpful for us to make these changes?
On page 93, Khan says that in the original Prussian model, "(test scores), would dictate who was eligible for the more prestigious and remunerative professions, and who would be consigned to a lifetime of menial labor and low social status." This stood out to me because it is still true to some degree. As a special educator for middle school, I travel between 6th-8th grade daily. I see students become siloed into an educational identity that I believe is pretty firm by 8th grade. Students form this identity through grades and their ability to keep up as well. While there may be some ability to move out of these roles, after 8th grade, students lose more and more opportunities if they do not do well on tests. I work with some students who do poorly in class because they are not intellectually challenged. From those results, they are denied access to curriculum that could be at an appropriate level for them.
Though educational identities and opportunities are in some ways solidified by 8th grade, the determination of where young people will fit in society begins at a much younger age in modern education. The disparity in funding between schools in lower-income areas and higher-income areas impacts students' opportunities from the moment they take steps in the school building. Opportunities in schools are based on privilege. The lack of funding for special education ensures that people with disabilities are kept on the fringes. Institutionalized racism is also a huge determinant in the quality of education and number of opportunities students are offered. One thing teachers can do now to disrupt the current school structures is to openly discuss it with everyone, including students. As Allan Johnson writes in Privilege, Power, and Difference, "you can't deal with a problem if you don't name it; once you name it, you can think, talk, and write about it."
I feel constantly stuck between the tension of wanting to help students break free of this model and being aware that the skills taught in the current school structure mimic the workforce and that students will need these skills and habits to remain employed. To survive, my students need to learn how to be employable, but to make change and to be liberated, they cannot be compliant and lacking imagination. So far in my career, I've been trying to be as honest as possible with students so that they can be aware that the way our society is formed is not any more natural than eating three meals a day, but they still have to eat.
School Funding:
https://youtu.be/0hLjAmnU8ls?si=_Fu-OMBFf0Ns9-jX
Denmark is ranked #1 in education. Here are some videos on their model:
https://youtube.com/shorts/q34YvAjfAOE?si=OHpDeXEPE9mgyV0u
https://youtu.be/OslumJuFQys?si=qDGpLsNCEXu_wHQI
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