Taking a Different Approach

In the American drive to be number one in all that we do, when it comes to educating our children, we sometimes fail to look at what has made the countries that are currently leading the educational pack more successful. Is it pride that keeps us lagging the field or do we mistakenly feel that we do it better? Maybe the truth is something altogether different however; the basis of this particular discourse will be an attempt to bring together all that is right even if it means looking at other country’s educational models and even, heaven forbid, borrowing from them.

There are certainly many terrific things being done in the education arena all over the world, all of which offer us much that we can learn from, but this week I would like to focus on some of the great things our European friends are doing successfully. While many of the countries of Europe have educational systems containing their own individual nuances, there are two very strong and common threads that unite them. The first being early childhood education. Within every European Country’s model lies the strong belief that early education is imperative to laying the ground work for a solid education. However, unlike that in the United States, early education programs are compulsory and not just an option for those families who can afford it. Some countries require children to begin with what is called pre-primary education/care before the age of one and continue that until age three when they are moved into the early education level until age five.

In contrast, the United States Department of Education funds the Head Start “pre-school” programs only sporadically throughout the country. Often only the very poor in the extremely hard to serve areas are given access to these programs and, more often than not, on a limited basis at best. This approach is contrary to everything that is currently known about child development. It is not at all a wonder that the United States lags behind in the education of its citizenry.

To my knowledge, there is no one in the field of education who would disagree with the understanding that early education is the foundation of all other learning within a child’s “impressionable” years. That is why I find it inexplicable that in a nation that spends billions of dollars on education and boast of having some of the greatest minds in the world, have not saw clear to build and adequately fund a compulsory early education system. Thus laying the foundation for the future generations of learners, that will, ultimately, result in a highly qualified, highly paid workforce. What were we thinking a century ago? Was it that we would not be able to afford to sustain such a system. Or did we simply not imagine a future whose economic wellbeing would depend on a highly educated workforce in an effort to compete in a global marketplace? Well the answer to both those questions is a resounding yes. The times have certainly changed! The United States is collecting revenues and spending trillions of dollars, amounts that our founders could have never imagined. At the same time the founding fathers realized even then that if the new country were to survive, it must be able to trade with other nations around the globe however, they could not have imagined in their wildest dreams the immensity of the global market and what it really would take to compete in it. The focus on education during the colonial period was mostly towards the “Three R’s”, the Bible and learning a skilled trade. Ironically, when all is said and done, that same focus may not be such a bad idea today.

Everyone would agree that early childhood education is an extremely important aspect to every child’s development. Therefore, why haven’t we as a nation made the decision to make it compulsory? Why can’t formal education begin at four years of age or perhaps even three years old? It is certainly not hurting the European children who begin then, (and in some countries even younger). In fact it is probably a large contributor to their high standing among international education measures.

There needs to be further discussion regarding the other end of the compulsory education age group from age fourteen on however, this will be a topic for future columns. I want to conclude this week’s installment by pointing out another tough decision our leaders are faced with and that is to expand the compulsory school age downward to three and four year olds. Once again Legislators must step up and do what might not be the most politically advantageous for them, and develop and fund a federal mandate ordering states to lower the compulsory school age.