Future of U.S. Education Looks Bleak

If you have any interest in K-12 education, then I recommend this three-part series based on the book, Education and the Crisis of Public Values, to be published by Peter Lang Publishing Group. Although I am not enrolled in an education graduate program, I have been following the trends closely. Education was an area I studied in my undergraduate days. It is hard to believe that teaching was once a respected profession, but it is slowly eroding as external influences determine how and what children should learn. Sometimes, I wonder what will happen to the future of education in the United States. Right now, it looks very bleak.

Underlying these transformations are a number of forces eager to privatize schools, substitute vocational training for education and reduce teaching and learning to reductive modes of testing and evaluation. - In Defense of Public School Teachers in a Time of Crisis

• Dumbing Down Teachers: Attacking Colleges of Education in the Name of Reform (Part I)


• Teachers Without Jobs and Education Without Hope: Beyond Bailouts and the Fetish of the Measurement Trap (Part 2)


• Chartering Disaster: Why Duncan's Corporate-Based Schools Can't Deliver an Education That Matters (Part 3)

Forbes: Worst Master's Degrees List

Last month, Forbes ranked the best and worst master's degrees. The magazine considered job growth and mid-career earnings. It received a lot of attention and backlash due to incorrect facts and figures (for instance, Payscale data is very misleading). It also just happens that my favorite fields (social work, library science, and education) were listed among the worst category.

Here are my thoughts: Although I am very disappointed with the list, I do not take it seriously. I have no regrets in my choice of fields. I am learning analytical and leadership skills in my graduate program. Not everyone can become a scientist or physician assistant. Payscale figures are also not credible because it doesn't take into account a person's practice area. Social work and library science are very diverse fields; the practice area can lead to different salary levels. The list is also discriminatory because women disproportionately attain most of the "worst degrees."

The bottom line is focus on what interests you, excel in the subject, and your career will take off from there. Don't listen to dubious rankings that adopt arbitrary data. I love this comment because it reveals why society needs librarians:

Forbes should have asked someone with a Master's degree in Library & Information Science about the difference between nurses and PAs. This is what happens when information professionals are devalued in our society.

[UPDATE] In 2012, Forbes revisited this list with their ranking of best and worst master's degrees for jobs. It removed social work from the list (woo-hoo!), but library and information science still remains on the list for worst master's degrees.

Obama's Next Task: Reading and Childhood Obesity

First Lady Michelle Obama launched the "Let's Move, Let's Read" program to encourage children to exercise, eat healthy, and read during the summer vacation. It is part of her national campaign against childhood obesity and reading loss. She wants children to read at least five books during the months they are not in school.

However, there are several flaws to her plan because it does not address funding for public libraries in high-poverty areas which are disproportionately urban and rural. Most school children will rent books from their local libraries, yet state governments nationwide continue to cut funding towards public libraries. During this economic recession, more people are flocking to public libraries than ever for educational, employment, and recreational purposes. The first lady should advocate for public libraries if she wants her campaign to be successful.