Education Redux

Education Redux is a timely and incisive work answering the myriad of questions aboutthe future of America. It is a general interest book of particular consequence to the currentpolitical and education debate. The U.S. is facing a surfeit of crises-social, political,economic and environmental. These challenges continue to be met with traditional shortterm,feel-good, snake oil remedies. None of these actions begin to address the realstructural problems in the U.S. economy or in its schools.Education Redux examines the evolution of our economic despair. The popular perceptionis that the definitive cure is better education. There is a problem. K-12 schools do notwork. Per student spending, on a constant dollar basis, is up 600% over the past fewdecades. Yet, standardized test scores remain flat. The proposed solutions neverchange-more money, better teacher performance, more parental involvement. Researchers dependably provide nothingmore than minor variations on these themes, reiterating hackneyed predicaments and fixes.The school problem is essentially twofold. First, school curriculum and instructional design are incompatible with thepredisposition of the New Kids (Millennial cohort). Second, schools are perceived by students as not relevant. Educationprofessionals treat schools as though they operate in a vacuum, which is a lethal error. School reform agendas have to beresponsive to students within the context of social and economic realities.The loss of gainful employment opportunities in our economy is directly related to the dismantling of the Americanmanufacturing sector. The restoration of a 21st century manufacturing economy is predicated on our ability to infuse youngpeople with the technical and entrepreneurial skills necessary to pursue productivecareers. For the New Kids, video games define their reality. Games are based onskill, not following orders.Education Redux offers an operational guide, predicated on the use of up-to-datevideo game technology, for making schools both relevant and enjoyable. Therequirement for individual expression and building a community through thedevelopment of group skills can be attained using a program called the e-OneRoomSchoolhouse.Education Redux is the product of comprehensive research by the author, who hasextensive formal training and experience in manufacturing, finance, teaching andcommunity affairs. The book answers questions most people are afraid to ask.