By John Fedele

What is a suitable education? What is an appropriate education? What is a useable education?

Seems the legislators, school officials and parents are wrapped up in semantics.

The effort by the SES school board and parents proved that point the other night, but, more importantly it proved why defining a “suitable” education is close to impossible, as the only thing they agreed upon in regards to what schools do that is beyond a suitable education was No Child Left Behind.  (The President seems to agree, especially when it comes to evaluating schools. Too much testing he says. Really? Seems he has decided NCLB needs revamping.)

Suitable, is in the eye of the beholder. It is personal – to the teacher – to the parent- to the student- to the government. It is this human factor that gets in the way.

Take entitlements for example. Once they are in place, talk to remove them or change them usually brings out protesters and long debates, resulting in a stalemate and nothing being changed. The same holds true when school programs or courses are up for elimination or change, or when school boundaries change because of population shifts.

So, I am for changing suitable to useful. The American educational system needs to be geared towards how the student will use education. How about this:

All high schools should have a Vocational Technical (Vo-Tech) co-located next to them. The high school would have 4 departments. A college prep department, a business department, a general department, and a Vo-Tech department. Curriculums would be specific for each dapartment. Vo-Tech students would spend two weeks in shop and then two weeks in school (lost academic hours would be made up by attending two hours a week in night classes).

I am sure there are other possibilities/scenarios, as long as the end result is a useful education. Food for thought?