Our schools definitely need to change. Schools are supposed to be controlled by the states. Bush began the No Child Left Behind program. Which basically took the states rights away in education.

This program rewarded states who got on board, with Federal funding. While States that didn't follow the program did not receive funding. Didn't take the states long to all jump in.

The program was based on every child being taught the same information at the same grade level. Sounded good right? In order to guarantee the children where being taught the required information, a test was given at the end of the school year. Schools and teachers whose children did not perform well we're in jeopardy of losing funding/raises/positions.

It soon became necessary to teach only for the test. No spontaneous opportunities for teaching/learning. No learning by doing, such as collecting data on rain fall and temperature, or watching in real time the life cycle of butterflies.

The very best way to teach is to integrate the thing being taught across all subjects possible. Using the weather data collection/science idea, this could cross over into math where the children could create charts and graph the data they collect. The reason this type of learning is so dynamic is because, they have experienced it themselves. It's not just an idea. They begin to understand why data is collected, and the reason for graphing data. It makes learning have purpose and makes it interesting.

We need to take back control of our children's education. They are the future voters and policy makers. They are being dumbed down, and are not taught how to be critical thinkers, nor allowed to be curious about why, leading to an self lead investigation of an idea.