6 ms·
Measuring the outcomes of primary/secondary education is not easy. The purpose of such education is not giving kids measurable skills but preparing them for the
by jltsiren 4y ago
Measuring the outcomes of primary/secondary education is not easy. The purpose of such education is not giving kids measurable skills but preparing them for their lives as citizens. You can't measure that with standardized tests. You must follow the kids over their lives and see how they contribute to the society.
- nverno 4y agoWhat does it mean 'preparing them for their lives as citizens'? School is for learning reading, writing, and arithmetic. Learning how to be part of society is something everyone learns in the theater of life, not from school teachers specifically (as much from school teachers as from all the other important people in their life).
- jltsiren 4y agoIt means being prepared to use political rights such as voting and freedom of speech. It means being responsible for your own life, finances, and social interactions. And other things like that. When a kid turns 18, they suddenly have many rights and responsibilities. The primary purpose of education is preparing kids for those. A 18-year-old has typically spent 20-25% of their waking hours in formal education, depending on what you count. That's a substantial fraction of their life so far. Formal education is particularly important for less fortunate kids who don't learn many useful things from their friends and family. If you want such people to have rights and responsibilities, they must be given a chance to prepare. Otherwise the society will suffer.