Katie at A Constrained Vision has an article today questioning the relevance of high schools and colleges. While I think that there are major revisions needed in the operation of our schools, at least on the secondary education level, I don't think they are completely irrelevant. I wish universities would concentrate a little less on multiculturalism and integrated studies and a little more on things like engineering (actually a lot and a lot) but in many cases I believe that on-campus exposure and guidance is needed. And I say that as someone who has been attending schools of different types for many years and hates on-campus work and most of the guidance I receive. Three books I have read on this subject are excellent:
Dumbing Down Our Kids by Charles J. Sykes
The Worm in the Apple by Peter Brimlow
Common Sense Training by Arthur Collins
The first two deal with problems endemic in our educational system, the last with the military's methods of teaching soldiers their jobs. I find the material in Common Sense Training to be relevant mainly because the military is so successful in taking recruits from differing educational levels and helping them master a subject.
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