True, It's not the kids; it's the system! And seeing that is step one in improving schools...

This W O N D E R F U L essay from the founder of Knewton found its way into my In Box. This is one of the clearest assessments of the situation teachers and students find themselves in currently that I've seen in ages. I wonder though, will Knewton powered solutions actually address the problems described here? Or will they be yet, more, 'reform' that actually props up the status quo? I have fingers crossed...

"We've all grown up with the factory model of education. It's come to seem totally normal. It's not normal at all." Read on for Jose's take on why (and how) our education system needs to change. - The Knerds

It's Not the Kids; It's the System by Jose Ferreira, Knewton founder and CEO Winston Churchill famously said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except all the others.” Until recently, the same could be said for the factory model of education. Imported from Europe and implemented at the urging of education reformer Horace Mann, the factory model puts kids into age-based classrooms and uses seat time to determine when they’re ready to move on to the next level. In many ways, it’s an awful system, rigid, arbitrary, and impersonal. But it’s also responsible for almost every modern innovation we rely on today. Read more ›