Civic Capabilities and our Educational Challenge

What if teacher and taxpayer resources were "extensive"ly directed towards civic understanding and practical application of studies in ways that deliver an impact on students' local communities?

When over 50% of graduates from over two thirds of Illinois' public schools are "not adequately prepared for college" according to ACT scores, maybe we need to rethink the methods and metrics we use to gauge an individual's capacity to be successful.

Why do we spend so much money, time, and creative resources to teach towards a test? It is infinitely more valuable for me to see, first-hand, the impact I have on the world around me when I work with others to achieve goals than it is for me to receive an evaluation that pits me against my neighbors in competition. The common-core, standardized system itself is bench-marking schools against schools and students against students, perpetuating this fallacy of an idea that achievement is judged on an individual merit rather than one of community. We are not in this alone, for we live and breathe the same world. 

Schools equip us. The question is "for what?" What should follow is "why?" Sure we need an economy, and the idea is that this system is built to establish a secure pipeline from young pupil into an effectively trained working contributor to the global economic system. Well, first-off, the illinoisreportcard.com shows that less than half of all public school students in the state are ready for college (46%) and when we consider that the job market is increasingly demanding college degrees over high school diplomas, there is an issue: ACT scores are a HUGE determinant of college admission. When we look at the distribution of ACT scores, low-income, minority (black and Hispanic, mostly) students suffer disproportionately from the ACT-defined readiness gap.

What is the purpose of an economy without a strong civil society? An economy should serve the civic arena. First and foremost, we should be citizens, members of a community who have empowered capabilities (see Amartya Sen's research). The problem is that our education system is built from the perspective that we serve the economy, not the other way around. This is a paradigm shift and many people will be uncomfortable with wrapping their mind around it. We must focus on strengthening our social bonds and increasing our civic participation, our identity as members of a shared community and not individuals or marginalized classes who are left to our own devices in order to survive.

IF we direct our resources towards building this kind of societal foundation, we will increase the exchange of ideas and flow of creativity as competition increasingly gives way to collaboration because social capital (what I'm talking about here) delivers trust and breaks down social barriers (mental, emotional, physical, cultural, ideological.) From that point, we, as a stronger society, will be better equipped to solve our economic challenges. It is NOT worth sacrificing civil society for the cause of economic stability. That is akin to sacrificing our soul for the sake of a facade of livelihood.

Put simply, standardized tests are eroding the fabric of civil society and we need to restructure education so that students are engaging with their community and built environment through all their studies.

Impact and Desires... What's my Legacy?

What do you think of when you consider the impact you would like to have in life?

I have friends with every sort of drive: some are pursuing MDs so they can be epic and save lives, others are dancing with pharmacy, to better understand how drugs can change the game for people's livelihoods and a couple I know are becoming chefs, to satisfy and delight our fundamental needs. Some are building empires of a business to shift the market and reflect something new and refreshing in our lives, still others pursue acting, to cause and move the deep seats of emotion within all of us, others are in politics, to realign the system to be more genuine to the nature of humanity and shared fate, and more are growing in their faith, inspiring others through the pastoral and worship leader life. The list goes on to include chemical engineers, graphic designers, biologists, information technology system managers, interior designers, writers, physicists, bio-medical engineers, dancers, nomads, architects, sound engineers, and those who renounce ambition.

Where do I fall in the mix of dreams? I have many desires, many ambitions... What I desire most of all my notions is to achieve an impact, to etch that certain groove into the surface of the world that when I look at it, I can see a reflection of my soul. There's a hard-to-define line here between the desire of ownership (a territorial/power drive) and the desire of meaning (something much more fundamental to the human condition). Like most any person, I want meaning out of my life. I want to leave a majestic imprint on my loved ones, one that they may carry with them: an age-defying love-beacon of hope, inspiration, energy, invigoration, love, and dance. I feel a calling in the depth of my spirit to do work that builds community, strengthened by the bonds of collaboration and creativity. This kind of work of grassroots; I cannot cause a community to develop, not in any way that is sustainable and respectful to the residents of that community. I believe, though, that I can help fashion tools and facilitate collaboration in a way that empowers the community to develop itself.

In life, I desire impact... I want to slip from the mortal coil of my Earthen home one day and look back to see the echo my influence has had throughout the lives of others. It's difficult to quantify the effect I'm talking about, but if I had one goal, it would be to build my life, my love, my careers and projects, in such a way that I can hand them off to the next generation and they can run with it, maybe tweaking a goal or vision here and there as their heart sees fit, but what I'm talking about is a lasting architecture... A foundation for passion-driven growth that redefines our perceptions.