We moved to America in 2015, in time for my kid to start third grade. Now she’s a year away from graduating high school (!) and I’ve had a front-row seat for the US K-12 system in a district rated as one of the best in the country. There were ups and downs, but high school has been a monster.

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If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/16/flexibility-in-the-margins/#a-commons

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  • Das@mastodon.online
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    10 months ago

    @pluralistic@mamot.fr there are attempts at some sort of commons at least for college (which is another can of worms) and some attempts to get this to the schools. However with different states having all kinds of different standards (NGSS and other national standards notwithstanding), it’s tough - and pushes the onus on to teachers a lot. A lot of this is piecemeal supported by foundations

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    • Das@mastodon.online
      1·
      10 months ago

      @pluralistic@mamot.fr
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      At CMU I know of and am learning to use the Open Learning Initiative online modules (and have used it for my #homeschool kids)
      Not shilling - it’s hardly optimal.

      In US there is a vast inequity - for students, teachers, the whole system.
      Tbh - if learning was a priority - school wouldn’t start so early (this is known); it’s more to get the parents to work to ‘fuel the economy’