What is school for?

Let me put it out there: I am frustrated with public education. I agree with Ken Robinson that schools can and often do destroy the creativity of young people. So we have to think about school differently. We have to ask zany questions like, "What would school look like if we were starting over on the moon?"

Seth Godin asks the most fundamental question about public education that never gets asked:

What is school for?

The scary thing is that your local school district doesn't know the answer to that question. They don't even know that they don't know the answer to that question. They have never asked themselves that question.

If school is about teaching kids to learn, then why do we use textbooks? If school is about teaching kids the skills they will need to get good jobs, why don't we use more internships? If school is about preparing kids for college, what do we do with the kids who don't want to go to college?

Public school is an enormous opportunity. But we're squandering it by doing the same things that we've always done without asking ourselves if it makes sense.

So, I ask you the question: What do you think is school for?

New Education Model: Carpe Diem Schools

Carpe Diem's educational model is radical.

At the center of the school is a cubicle area that looks like a call center. Each student is assigned a cubicle and a computer. The student does all of her lecture-style learning with online video tutorials on the computer so that she is prepared for small group projects.

Teachers do not lecture. Instead, they facilitate small group learning experiences and answer their students questions.

Each teacher stays with the students throughout their educational career. So, your math teacher when you are in 6th grade is still your math teacher when you are 12th grade. The teachers know their students well enough to have a relationship with them and to design instruction for that student.

Carpe Diem is a public charter school that spends less per student than traditional public schools in its district, but achieves significantly better results. Carpe Diem spends about $5,300 per student compared to an average of $7,000 per student at traditional public schools in Arizona.

If I were designing a brand new educational model from the ground up, I would seriously consider the Carpe Diem model as a starting point.

Here is a short video introduction to the school:


Note: This is part two in a series of posts about big ideas in education. Part one asks, "If you were building a new education system on the moon, what would it look like?"

What would schools on the moon look like?

Here is a little thought experiment: Suppose you are starting a new space colony on the moon. You are appointed the governor of the colony. The colonists will soon be arriving with their families. You've figured out some of the basic problems like housing, food, and air. Now you have a big question:

What will your schools look like?

You realize that you have a great opportunity here. You can design your school system however you want. There is no existing system that you have to build on top of. What would your education system look like? Will it have teachers? Will there be textbooks? Will there be grades? What will you teach? What are the goals of your lunar education system?