It is the "...paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste or sex" Article IX, section 1 and the preamble of the State Constitution.
Education is an intrinsic part of the economy and development and at the heart of our internationally recognized human rights and duties. Yet, in the US (and Washington State reflects these statistics), six million middle and high school students read significantly below their grade level. Americans 15 years old rank 28th out of 40 countries in mathematics and 19th out of 40 countries in science. According to a Newsweek article dated July 17, 2008, Education wise, the United States ranks 25 of the 30 of the major Democracies in the world. Almost 30 percent of students in their first year of college are forced to take remedial science and math classes because they are not prepared. Most American elementary and mid schools do not teach basic living skills like elementary law, elementary holistic health and elementary sustainability living. America has one of the highest dropout rates in the industrialized world. Students in public schools are often exposed to the drug culture (including, but not limited to cigarettes). Only 70 percent of U.S. high school students graduate with a diploma. African American and Latino students are significantly less likely to graduate than white students. A full third of high school graduates do not immediately go on to college. In California, over 20 percent of high school students drop out in the first year.
Meanwhile, on the teacher's front, thirty percent of new teachers leave within their first five years in the profession. In Washington State, teachers are disgruntled with the WASL tests, oversized classrooms, low salaries and the foreseeable education cuts given the budgetary shortfalls in the next biennium (In Edmonds, two elementary schools are being closed and the students will be transferred to other schools). Meanwhile, in the Nation, College costs have grown nearly 40 percent in the past five years. The average graduate leaves college with over $19,000 in debt and for certain studies, like law and medicine, many students are indebted well beyond 100,000 dollars. And between 2001 and 2010, 2 million academically qualified students will not go to college because they cannot afford it. In-state college tuition has grown 35 percent over the past five years.
Currently, there are many educational options ranging from traditional public schools, private or parochial schools, charter schools, school vouchers, private scholarship programs, home schooling, vocational schools and private and public colleges and universities. But because of the money crunch, because of Education bureaucracy and because of the lack of creative imagination, many parents and students are frustrated with the lack of access to the meaningful education they want. And regarding which they have a constitutional right.
In this perspective, the State should strive to catch up the lost years via a free and-or affordable higher education access for the low and mid-income residents. If other industrialized democracies can afford to offer free or comfortably affordable university access (tuition, dorm., food), Washington State could too and lead the Nation in this sphere. To meet the Education challenges of Washington State, a few proposals:
MEASURE 1 . HIGHER SALARIES AND ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS AND BUILDING STRUCTURES IN ALL LEVELS OF EDUCATION: In compliance with past Initiatives, the State should secure quality teaching via higher salaries and additional classrooms and eco friendly facilities. By this it is meant as follows: greener school buildings, with larger sun windows to get the serotonin circulating better: fewer (if any) junk food and soda pop vending machines (if Austrian born governor Schwartznegger got this measure passed by his State Legislature, Washington should too), more organic vegan bars and mind-focusing green smoothies, soft music (as opposed to metal music, see the Senate Judiciary Committee report on the crime influence of this, by CLICKING HERE): no media and video violence, let alone cigarettes, drugs and weapons in the school's jurisdiction: green detox plants to purify the inside of the buildings: efficient sport and theater facilities: organic and botanical school gardens modeled after Evergreen college's gardens and Bastyr naturopathic university's gardens (Kenmore), (for both pedagogy and the school restaurant): and other innovative health maintaining structures.
MEASURE 2 . KINDERGARDEN AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YEARS: HOME AND COMMUNITY SCHOOLING: EDUCATION TRUST FUND: The State should fiscally encourage parents to group with like-minded parents to community and home-school their children, including, but not limited to eco-nomadism (schooling via travel). Too often, in collective schooling, one abrasive teacher or youngster can traumatize a child for many years. This sensitive and "formative" age group needs close parental protection. The longer the “supply” line and the more intermediaries, the less effectiveness. This is one of the reasons why Israeli kibbutzim children fare better intellectually, physically and emotionally in comparison to their "city" friends (CLICK HERE FOR THE EVIDENCE). Home schooling can help the State to save money while allowing many teachers to be free from their jobs. In this way, the teachers will be able to take an early and deserved retirement and liberate their creative forces for other endeavors. There should still be a public and private nursery, kindergarten and elementary school system for those who wish to stay within the orthodox mainstream system. The State should encourage and assist elementary school parents to invest two thousand dollars into an education Trust Fund. In twenty years, this Trust fund can multiply into over one hundred thousands of dollars, that which would be enough for a expensive ivy-league university education. Provided these type of corporate universities still exist in twenty years. There should be as much emphasis on left brain development as on right brain development, meaning art, creative imagination and intuitive knowledge should be balanced with critical thinking, discipline and achievement.
MEASURE 3 . MID AND HIGH SCHOOL: For the mid and high school students, given Washington State's poor exam results and the high dropout crisis, the State Legislature should provide school district modernization funding in innovative and motivational educational strategies. In this perspective, with the collaboration of the public school superintendent, in addition to orthodox curriculum, there should be an alternative and complementary (holistic) curriculum to better things, on the obligation to teach all students seven pieces of relevant knowledge:
(a) Internationally recognized human rights and duty law in conjunction with the basics of American civil rights law and a general 101 introduction to law.
(b) Science-based nutrition and toxic free lifestyle education.
(c) Holistic healthcare techniques including psychological counseling.
(d) Sustainability and eco-development sciences, including, but not limited to the teaching of clean renewable energies, eco construction, alternative transportation systems and organic agriculture techniques.
(e) Basic computer and internet training, that which constitutes the cultural and education "equalizer" of modern times.
(f) Methodology on learning and research skills. There should be as much emphasis on left brain development as on right brain development, meaning art, creative imagination and intuitive knowledge should be balanced with critical thinking, discipline and achievement.
(g) Meditation & breathing techniques, holistic & health maintaining exercises, sun breaks, music and art classes.
MEASURE 4 . HIGHER EDUCATION, ONE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY AND AN EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT: To make college affordable and relevant for all Washingtonians (including the elderly), at least one public university should conceived, which could be built with green bio-material and be free for all low income and comfortably affordable for the others. As for the other universities and community colleges already in place, a task force could be organized to examine the appropriateness of a new Opportunity Tax Credit, in terms of ensuring the first $15,000 of a college education for all Washingtonian residents who need it.
MEASURE 5 . UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM: In addition to the normal university arts and science, there would be a curriculum core on the same seven relevant fields proposed for the mid school: (See above). These disciplines would not replicate the same high school subjects, but would be more sophisticated follow-ups, with concrete field work (including moot courts for the legal section, health clinics for the medical section, building zones for the eco development section).
MEASURE 6 . HUMAN RIGHTS AND DUTIES CONFLICT RESOLUTION COMMITTEES: To guarantee academic freedoms and duties, there will be human rights and duties conflict resolution committees. These will be animated by one third students, one third professors and one third administration agents.
MEASURE 7 . ALKI ISLAND STATUE PROJECT: The State's civic responsibility statue project (if this project is retained, see below) should be organized within the framework of university students in general and artist students in particular.