Category: Education

I found a few great resources about the “education bubble” after posting last week.  The more I think about it the more it makes sense.  We’re pushing too hard for a certain idea of what is educational success: a college degree.  I think that we’re going to continue to see these issues, and until the cost of college is reigned in it will have very lasting future implications.  

Forbes ran a good article titled the Great College Hoax which focused on the fact that the financial benefits of colleges–usually quoted as 1,000,000 dollars more over a lifetime compared to HS graduates–is getting misconstrued and over-stated since the cost of college has risen so quickly.  The benefits may have been there at some point, but they are quickly receding under the burden of college loan debt.

The risks are hefty. Half of students entering college never earn a degree. Six in ten African-Americans depart without one. “Hundreds of thousands of young people leave our higher education system unsuccessfully, burdened with large student loans that must be repaid, but without the benefit of the wages a college degree provides,” warned a 2004 Education Trust study.

What I think is even worse is that the loans seem to be growing the education bubble.  Many of the lenders’ practices certainly resemble the main contributions to the housing bubble (adjustable rate mortgages, etc.)…but what happens when students get out of college with tons of debt and a crappy job market?  I don’t think anyone can foreclose your college degree; but I would happily give my framed masters diploma up to be out of  the debt!

I never took an online course in high school or college.  In fact, the only online course I’ve taken was to learn that software that my company users.  The course was not very well organized (there was just too much going on). But I did learn from it.  

I might have missed the “elearning” wave in my education, but it’s certainly gaining traction today…and that’s a good thing.  I think there are lots of efficiencies to be found in elearning (both fully online and blended).  

The sharing of content, collaboration by two teachers separated by distance, and a greater wealth of rich content (video, audio, etc.) are all benefits borne from education moving online.  

Education week had a few good pieces about online learning today, one an interview with the President of Virtual High School in audio (here’s a direct link to the mp3).  Additionally, they covered the “rise in elearning”.  Here’s my favorite part:

The report notes that school districts are implementing these courses differently. Some are using online-only classes and others are creating a hybrid model that might include some face-to-face interaction with a teacher as well as digital curriculum and online interaction.

“The big trend is more blended or hybrid learning environments in the classroom,” says Susan D. Patrick, the president and chief executive officer of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, formerly known as the North American Council for Online Learning. “There are cases where schools have a highly qualified math or science teacher, but relying on a single textbook to teach all the concepts of the course may not be the best way to customize instruction in this digital age.”

So, this is great and all–but there is an issue that stands in the way of wide spread adoption and that’s elearning in higher education.  Many institutions charge the same rates for online as in class (despite the obvious cost savings of not using rooms and giving freedom to the facilitators).  In fact, my wife took a course from UWisconsin and they put a premium on her online course.  

The fact of the matter is the elearning is cheaper.  The cost of the facilitators remains the same, but if you’re not printing papers, scheduling rooms, heating said room or using electricity, there are savings to be had.  Even more so when elearning institutions streamline and automate registration, certifications, transcripts and other tasks that may currently require manpower.

The bad news in Vermont (and any other state) is that they need to cut education spending (1. because it’s somewhat out of control and 2. because you can’t squeeze the rest of the state spending for $40,000,000 without taking a close look at the Ed budget).  The good news is thatthe House actually posted what each district’s slice of the 2009 Stimulus Pie will be.    

All told the State of Vermont’s education system is going to receive LOTS of money.  In fact, it probably could rival what the state gov. is trying to cut from it right now (which might make a few claim it’s moot–I would beg to differ though).  

The information for all of the states is available on the House blog site.  Look up your district and see how they are going to make out.  It’s like knowing what you’re going to get for Christmas!

My elementary school is getting about 500,000 dollars of the nearly 40 billion going to schools…I guess that’s fair since there are less than 200 students.

I’ve recently been thinking about how credit costs are come up with.  It seems that X college just picks a number that covers their costs, marks it up and relies on their “brand” to justify the cost.  I’ve seen accredited universities sell their credits for 50 bucks (not including the cost of content and teachers…which can’t be all together that expensive when spread over 20 students in a course, offered 3 times a semester 6 or 8 times before the content needs upgrading/revision.  

As the recent post on Open Education relates, 

But Robb saves his strongest criticisms for higher education. Beginning with the costs for collegiate education, expenses that have increased 4.39 times faster than inflation over the last three decades, Robb indicates that higher education is no longer affordable for most households, especially as median family incomes stagnate.

via John Robb on “The Education Bubble” and the Opportunities Provided — Open Education.

It’s possible that there is no justification for the prices colleges are charging these days.  Moreso, the article and Robb go on to say, it’s possible that those foregoing higher ed. are just as well off as their counterparts who attend a 4 year cruise to nowhere (college) in the long run.  What!?  

If this bubble bursts things are not going to go well.

“We worked for a number of years before we had kids,” she said. “We know how to research and find information and connect the dots. To expect us to show up and just make photos or write checks does not sit well with this generation. If you are going to invite parents in the door . . . it should be more of a partnership.”

via Well-Connected Parents Take On School Boards – washingtonpost.com.

It was only a matter of time before someone acted to make change.  Education seems more and more resistent to change (just look at Vermont’s decades long funding debate).  The unfortunate part is that parents are just as resistent to funding changes and closing unnecessary schools.  So much for progress.

When 43 was elected a lot of people claimed that he was someone they’d be able to kick back and have a beer with.  No doubt some of that sentiment changed over the 8 years in office.  

I wonder what people say now.  It seems to me that Obama has simultaneously elevated the Presidential brand while bridging the gap between Presidential superstar and plain old civilian.  Yesterday I watched a news cast of Obama reacting to the school closings in DC (they got a bit of snow) and mentioned that he thought it was crazy (though he said it more diplomatically than I have).  That’s right, the President, commenting on a school closing.  Has that ever happened in the history of the US?  I doubt it.  

This may n0t apply to everyone, but I can relate to Barack (for one example, we both work from home).  I’m sitting in Pittsburgh and all of the schools are closed (including early shutdowns of colleges), over 2-3 inches of slushy snow.  His daughter was spot on, we would have been having recess outside on days like that!  Say what you will: that “I’m enamored like the rest of the US public”, or that “I’m in for a big surprise”.  I’m already surprised!  I’m surprised that he actually is the guy I thought he was!  Even his Chef has an eye to policy I agree with.

I think any organization could learn a lot from Zappos.  This is a highly successful business built from the ground up on guidelines that emphasize efficiency and function over form, for example they chose their location because of proximity to easy shipping because the culture of Vegas was more customer oriented, something they wanted to reflect in their business.  I’ve bought shoes from them several times and have always been pleasantly surprised when the shoes show up the very next day (instead of 3-5 days later), free.  There are 10 guidelines, or “core values” instituted by Zappos (Tony Hsieh) himself, they are: 

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

They even have a book containing essays about the 10 core values.  I’m particularly drawn to 2, 3, 5 and 8.  If these were the guidelines of a school, I think it would be groundbreaking!  

Imagine a school that embraces and drives change (rather than resisting new technologies).  One of my contacts in school was talking about the difficulty in being able to upgrade from IE6 to 7.  I know it’s driven by time constraints, but surely there is a solution to get computers optimized.  Same goes for arguments against using Linux and other FOSS, letting students work on computers or letting students bring their own laptops to school.  

Fun at school?  Imagine that.  It’s funny, when I read articles about KIPP the students strike me as having fun.  They learn in an environment that is more strict than most schools, and some of the rules may be weird, but overall the students seem to embrace the challenge and they even crack a smile!

Learning: it’s the goal of schools (I hope), and if teachers aren’t pursuing growth and learning then students are in big trouble.  Luckily states are mandating lots of Professional Development, otherwise, we’d probably be screwed.

Finally, do more with less.  As state budgets shrink this is evermore important, but it’s probably the hardest thing states are attempting.  It’s hard to argue with the perspective of not cutting education funding.  And more so, the mindset is to at least maintain current funding levels.  But the solution is doing more with less.  There are ways to find educational efficiencies (I think one way would be through national standards), schools just need to have the mindset that they can.  In fact, we should reward schools that find ways to do more with less.  Achievement, success and total funding can all be measured, as success goes up (or stays the same) maybe schools retain some of their savings (this is how some efficiency utilities work).  

What would be the guiding principles if you built a school from scratch?

PS: note that Zappos has a very unique strategy of paying employees to quit…1000 bucks! (Harvard Business Review has a great video interview)