JACKSON BLOGS THE WEB: Jackson Gariety of Portland, OR offers his two cents on education reform as if school was a startup. The 15-year old high-schooler and entrepreneur offers his thoughts as a “precursor to a detailed redesign.” Jackson offers up some sobering statistics -- only 22% of ACT test-takers meet “college-ready” standards and 75% of US citizens can’t pass military entrance exams -- that fly in the face of perceived progress. “To be honest, it doesn’t matter how many graduate, the important things are what students carry with them to prepare themselves to be creative and survive in this economy that demands innovation.”
His proposed solutions are refreshing. For one, he believes we should let “students check in and out of school whenever they want,” with a punishment of the current 9-5 schedule for those who fail to get work done responsibly. Sound crazy? He reasons that students will be motivated by controlling their social schedule--something that makes a ton of sense. “All of a sudden, good grades are necessary to fit in with the group,” he notes. Imagine that--students needing good grades to be in the cool. (You've gotta love this kid’s disruptive spirit!) Give his blog a full read to see what other entrepreneurial reforms Jackson has in mind.
And Jackson? Check out the contest sponsored by Goldman Sachs. Looks like those bankers are offering a pretty penny (or $10K) for clever thoughts.
