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I don't think every child would like to optimize their life for academic success, and some would prefer to do things other than university-level education. And

• Karrot_Kream 5y ago
  Hard agree. I agree that the way we're spending money on kids right now is idiotic. Factory-education is dumb. Just try to remember (sorry I don't mean this in a patronizing way, tone on the internet is hard) that we should have a backstop for children at the margins. But yes, a customizable education system should be able to recognize this. Not force everyone into the same silly pipeline, no matter their interests, circumstances, or aptitude. One thing that I would love to see in public schools is to allow a "free elective" that public schools administer (assuming the child picks it), which is just a MOOC with an examination schedule. A teacher can be tasked on following-up and ensuring that the child is actually making progress on their assessments, but that's it, maybe even offering a pass/fail option. This offers a low-cost way for children to explore their interests through high-level instruction without having to specifically source a teacher/expert on this material. A counselor would need to work with a child on an individual basis to evaluate whether the free elective was appropriate. Sadly in larger public schools counselors barely have enough time to keep track of their failing students, let alone their successful ones.