Comparative Education
The comparative education argument has been going on for decades. In every political campaign there is an ‘education candidate’, and at some point they have used comparative education data that shows that the US is well behind their counterparts in other countries in student achievement. In addition, and comparatively speaking, within our own country we have our own data from state to state, district to district, or even school to school which can often mirror those same differences we see in US school and their overseas counterparts. Either way we look at it, comparative data does show us that there are often significant disparities in educational systems. This data does provide the backdrop for inquiry into how children learn, what effects demographics have on education, and display a clear picture that invokes people to want to change what we’re doing. Personally, I believe that education is for everybody and that the quality and character of a teacher can, and will, often determine outcomes in the classroom even when there are no books to read, no paper to write on, and no desire to learn.
I believe there are solutions to our problems. I believe that new
paradigms in education are on the horizon and that we can be a part of that.
The discussion on a global curriculum is one, the establishment of a global
governing body that monitors the basic core requirements and the mastery of
meeting those requirements is certainly something I think we will see in the
not too distant future. I think we can develop a global curriculum that speaks
to what is needed for students to become lifelong learners and good citizens in
a global community that can think critically. Perhaps an emergency post
disaster plan with a global curriculum is a first step. Like all projects you
need to first gather the data to not only drive further development, but to add
validity to the future decision making process on the global front. I think if
we can collectively develop a curriculum that would be implemented in post
disaster environments that meets the core areas of a given country then we may
have something to start with. And I
don’t think that it is a simple task. Developing something on a global scale
would likely receive significant pushback from a host of critics. So I think
just as many programs and practices are first tested out on a smaller scale we
can start there. This is where I think emergency education plans can play a
role in helping a global community accept a basic standardized curriculum for
future large scale implementation once the supporting data can be mined.
Consideration can also be for a regional curriculum, such as South East Asia,
The Americas, The Middle East, Europe. When disaster strikes, the
pre-positioning the team goes in with the regional curriculum and hits the
ground running. The regional curriculum guides are developed in advance using
the curriculum in a given region. Creating a diverse and rigorous curriculum
that will meet the needs of all students in the region and cross all barriers
to learning. Just as the helicopters transport medical supplies, food, and
staff so too can they drop supplies for education and teachers.
Imagine for a moment a complete
city wiped out from a Tsunami, the world responds, money, food, clothing,
emergency shelter, medical supplies all being delivered via helicopters and by
ship and cargo planes, we witness it all the time on TV and the internet. Now
imagine that same scenario where it’s the teachers who rappel down from the
helicopters, where the pallets parachuting from the C130 air cargo planes are
full of books, technology, and student supplies and within hours learning is
taking place. The impact that type of response to education on the villages and
communities at large would far surpass the hope that is given just by having
new clothes to wear or medical supplies. Nearly everyone in the world almost
expects that the world responds with basic needs of food, clothing, shelter,
just as they are written in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs….but what of education?
One of the highest order needs is ‘knowledge’ and yet it is a ‘basic’
understanding that we need to learn.
I remembered a post disaster environment once where a medical team
arrived and soldiers set up area to disburse clothing and the people appeared
generally happy, most made their way over to the tent to stand in long lines.
The children would stick by their parent’s side and walk slowly to check it all
out. But when all of a sudden a jeep with teachers arrived and they had two
large pallets of books and paper there was pandemonium, the children darted
from their parents and ran as fast as they could to the teachers, they were
surrounded in minutes with dozens of children shouting and begging for books.
Clearly, their most basic’ needs according to a chart were no longer of a
concern. Even those with no shoes, tattered clothing, and even in need of
medical attention were prioritizing their own needs. It was amazing to witness
the power of education. It’s that kind of power that can be harnessed and
shared on a global scale. We can have that kind of impact. We can continue
education in an emergency.
