BFTP: World's best workforce: can't we have a better goal?
Sunday, July 19, 2020 at 06:25AM 
... children in one set of schools are educated to be governors; children in the other set of schools are trained for being governed. The former are given the imaginative range to mobilize ideas for economic growth; the latter are provided with the discipline to do the narrow tasks the first group will prescribe. (Kozol, 1991).
I will say right up front, work has given me a great deal of satisfaction and self-worth throughout my life. Especially the professional work for which my education trained me - teaching, librarianship, and school administration.
Had I a magic wand, I would give the gift of meaningful work to each and every individual on the planet.
The goal/mission/tagline "creating the world's best workforce" has found its way into many K-12 school's plans. Minnesota legislatively mandated all its schools do so. The rise of STEM, coding, school-to-work, career pathways, etc. echo this sentiment.
But what a narrow goal. It seems to place value on our children only as potential workers who can contribute to the economy. I'd like to think I am of more value to the state and country than a cog in an money-making engine.
What if we changed our mission in K-12 education
- World's most critical thinkers?
- World's best problem-solvers?
- World's most creative individuals?
- World's most empathetic citizens?
- World's most daring entrepreneurs?
- World's most aesthetically appreciative?
- World's healthiest people?
Best workforce? To me this sounds far too much like training for compliance. Training to take orders. To be governed, not to be the governors.
We can do better.
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