Before the Department of Education was even thought of this country did very well with simple Parent controlled One Room Schools.
Benifit of one room for all grades 1-12: the younger students benifit from years of hearing the older ones discuss and explain details at the "blackboard"; Younger one learn behavior patterns from not just their peers (one grade) but the whole classroom; by the time they have made it to graduation they are teaching all the younger grades from the front of class.
Before 1900 most schools were one room school houses.
They graduated academicly qualified students ready for college or business. Many dropped out at 6th grade ready to work, since they were able to do math and read/write at 6th grade level (enough to get by and fuction.
We need to return to that cancept.
Comments (2)
I understand the love for a one-room schoolhouse, having gone to one for a year and had an outstanding experience. However, other adults have complained that their experience was not as good and that they found it difficult to move on to higher education afterward. And with one school, perhaps for all education, a student can get stuck with a poor teacher.
While I love how older kids teach the younger ones, and I know it does help both, I think the idea posted simply can't work in today's world.
Absolutely the best thing that could happen for this country is return of education to local communities where actual parental input had oversight and effective control over their own children. Public institutions could fill in for lesser capible family situations.