Economist Herb Stein famously said that something that can't go on
forever, won't. For decades now, America has been investing ever-growing
fortunes into its K-12 education system in exchange for steadily worse
results. Public schools haven't changed much from the late 19th century
industrial model and as a result young Americans are left increasingly
unprepared for a competitive global economy. At the same time, Americans
are spending more than they can afford on higher education, driven by
the kind of cheap credit that fueled the housing bubble. With college
graduates unable to secure employment or pay off student loans, the
real-world value of a traditional college education is in question.
In The New School, Glenn Harlan Reynolds explains how parents,
students and educators can, and must, reclaim and remake American
education. Already, Reynolds explains, many Americans are abandoning
traditional education for new models. Many are going to charter schools
or private schools, but others are going another step beyond and making
the leap to online education--over 1.8 million K-12 students already.
The New School does not prescribe a one-size-fits-all solution for
education. Americans require a diverse system of innovative
approaches--each suited to a family's needs and spending potential. But
with the profusion of online education, school choice, and even a return
to alternatives like apprenticeships and on the job training, Americans
hold the power to lower costs and improve outcomes from the ground up.
