A pair of In-N-Out cheeseburgers.
Image via WikipediaJef Poskanzer , Berkeley, California, USADo you want fries with that degree? "Average yearly undergraduate fees are on the rise – up 14% in the past five years to $5,138 – and government financing is growing apace.
Does just about everyone have to have some sort of post-secondary education? And if society reckons they do, what’s the best way to get real value for students and taxpayers?"
The article discusses high school tuition rates in Canada. But I am struck by the metaphor. If Harvard is giving students an organic, gourmet experience, lots of kids are getting mass-produced fast food educations that impede their natural development as much as fast food harms the body.
One huge myth in modern education is that poor-quality education may not achieve equity but education cannot really do much harm. It may not work but it doesn't actively cause problems in and of itself. I think cognitive science and psychology know otherwise. What does mass ed do to the intellectual vigor and strength of mind of students? Does it predispose students toward greater conformity?
And then there is the fact that a lot of fast food is even less than it seems. Posts below examine research about school size, mass settings and peer dependence.
Are school shootings the virulent e-coli and bullying the food poisoning of mass schooling? Even Finland with its high-scoring schools has shootings.
EXCERPT: The Scene of the Crime Was the Cause of the Crime | AlterNet
background post
side effects of the literacy factory model
undermining the child and the family
what's wrong with schools?
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