24th Edition
Amidst the growing discontent with K-12 public education a very interesting and relatively new trend has emerged. It’s called unbundling and it basically involves the customization of educational curriculum based on student interest and parental values. Think of it as after-school programs on steroids. Essentially, students participate in various activities provided by third parties at various places and venues in order to broaden their overall learning experience. In many ways it makes a lot of sense. Involving experts in various fields would definitely enrich education at all levels. Moreover, as the world continues to adapt to remote learning, it seems natural to apply this approach to education.
Proponents of this system contend that it will result in greater educational equity and more inclusiveness. On this front, I’m not so sure. Sounds to me, like they are just checking the social justice box. I don’t see how customization creates equity or inclusiveness. First, an unbundled education system will require significantly more parental involvement in order to choose the best programs for students. What happens to students whose parents aren’t prepared, willing, or able to do this? It seems inevitable that “better” parents would produce better educational experiences for their children, resulting in far less equity. Second, there is tremendous opportunity for educational distraction as parents are bombarded with exciting new activities and programs which claim all sorts of educational benefits, but in reality, might just be boondoggles. How will all these programs be measured and by what criteria? Third, what happens to school spirit? Isn’t this an important part of the overall K-12 education experience? What happens to friendships between different individuals that often leads to invaluable life lessons, if for example, we segregate and send off all the students interested science in one direction, and all the students interested in history in another? And what is the ultimate impact if we do this in 2nd grade compared to 10th grade?
Again, the pressure on parents to make all these decisions prudently for their children is daunting. Isn’t it better to expose all students to all things and let them decide, over time, for themselves?
Beyond that, aren’t there core values and foundational components of education that we want all students to learn, and if so, isn’t group learning the best setting? In terms of core values, I am talking about integrity and loyalty, being kind and considerate, learning respect, teamwork and showing compassion to others. All these character traits are best learned together, not remotely, or in small, isolated groups of like-interested students.
Meanwhile, I think it is appropriate to ask whether current public schools are doing an acceptable job at teaching foundational components like reading and writing, but also practical skills like budgeting, investing, and appropriate use of technology and social media. The woeful statistics on reading capabilities of students at many public schools is reason alone to challenge current education methodologies.
As I have shared in previous editions, there is an enormous opportunity to teach life lessons and build character by integrating a properly run sports program into the overall education experience. Unfortunately, this isn’t being done in most public schools.
On this note, should we send the elite athletes to compete on sport-specific teams, away from the average athletes and the rest of the student body? I don’t think this will be beneficial. An exceedingly small percentage of even these elite athletes will have a career in sports, so isolating them at early age might not be the best in the long run.
I’m sensing that unbundling will ultimately lead to more diverse educational outcomes. Students whose parents can navigate all the potential opportunities may in fact be better off. But a lot of parents will struggle with this responsibility. Moreover, students who come from challenging home environments may fall even farther behind.
In a nutshell, it makes more sense to me to focus on improving the teaching of important core values, foundational components, and practical skills. Learning all three in a group environment helps everyone. Simple, really, just not easy to do.
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization