We all know education is a good thing, right? I mean we spend a lot of our lives in school and completing out-of-school work, aka homework. In fact, a typical U.S. student spends 8,884 hours completing primary and lower secondary education, which consists of grades K-8. EdWeek In comparison, other countries on average spend 1300 hours less, approximately one school year, completing their primary and lower secondary education. If our U.S. students are spending more hours completing their education, this must mean our children are more prepared and outperform other countries, right?
Well, not really. There is an abundance of articles and research identifying and discussing the performance of our children in the U.S. as compared to other countries. The National Center for Education Statistics has a plethora of data if you’d like some “light” reading. As much as I love statistics, I know I’m a nerd, you can’t always take statistics at face value. You have to delve deeper and ask questions about the underlying details and contributing factors. That being said, it only takes a few moments to review some of the statistics before you begin to question why our students aren’t performing better.
Whenever the topic of student performance comes up, everyone has an opinion and unfortunately, there is more than likely a lot of blaming. Many will say poor parenting is to blame, too much testing, social media, latch-key kids, teacher shortage, teacher preparation programs, school administration, school funding, and my favorite, the “new” math.
Speaking as a former educator and school administrator, the truth is there is no “one” reason why student performance has declined over the years. What I will offer is that the saying “it takes a village” is so applicable when it comes to raising our children. It takes all of us to protect, care for, and teach our children. And while you hear a lot of people saying something similar, often actions speak louder than words.
November 11th is National Education Day and while you may think it is simply a day to celebrate the value of education, there is more to the story about the significance of this celebration and what we can all learn from its history.
The quote in the headline of this post is by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Minister for Education in India. After India was granted independence, in 1947, after 200 years of British rule, the country experienced difficulty stabilizing its institutions and government. The leaders identified illiteracy as a major roadblock to rebuilding and developing the nation. Improving education became the focus with the leaders making a direct correlation between a strong education system and a strong country. They essentially decided to put their money, where their mouth is, and for the good of their country’s future make major changes in their education system.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad led the way for the revamping of India’s education system focusing on improving literacy for all and expanding secondary education opportunities, particularly for the young women of India. In 1951, just four years after being named the country’s first Education Minister, the first Indian Institute of Technology was established, with the mission to train engineers and scientists as a way to develop a skilled workforce that would in turn lead to the development of the country’s economy and social structure. It is now considered, by many, as the personification of excellence in education.
We can learn from India’s education transformation, over 75 years ago, as we look to our own educational system reform in the United States. Focusing our attention on education and providing the structure, support, and funding necessary for restructuring will make the greatest impact on the future of our students and our country.
So, why is November 11th the day we celebrate Education? It is the birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the educational leader that helped transform the education system in India and establish a blueprint for excellence in education. Today we celebrate his contributions, not only to India but to the world.