Sixty-five years ago, at the age of eighteen, Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote a short paper for his college newspaper on “the purpose of education.” (The Maroon Tiger, Morehouse College, January–February 1947). As we honor his contributions and sacrifice and teach our children about what he taught us, let us reflect on these words:
Education which stops at efficiency may prove to be the greatest menace to society. … We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. … The broad education will, therefore, translate to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living.
Two recent pieces about education in Finland speak volumes about that country’s ability to pay attention to the “accumulated experience of social living” in crafting national educational goals. These pieces also say much about our failure in America to consider education in that way in our public policy.
First, the courageous voice of Diane Ravitch:
Here’s an interesting contrast: We claim to be preparing students for global competitiveness, and we reward mastery of basic skills. Our guiding principles: Competition, accountability, and choice. Finland has this singular goal: to develop the humanity of each child. Isn’t that a shocking goal? Their guiding principles: equity, creativity, and prosperity.
Read her full article, and then have a look at this great piece in The Atlantic magazine on what Americans keep ignoring about the success of Finland’s schools.
I’d love to hear your thoughts—what do Martin Luther King, Jr., Diane Ravitch, and Finland say to you?
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Leslie -Thank you. Many teachers throughout our country, whose hearts and minds are set on justice, equity and high expectations for every child in their classrooms, are living with sentiments similar to those you gave voice to. So we are not alone. Listening to Dr. King’s words this past weekend on an old video of Meet the Press, I was reminded, as he spoke truth to power, of the true power of love and patience. Early on he told us that the changes we longed for would not come easily or quickly and we might not see them in our lifetime, but that did not make it any less urgent to keep on working for our deepest held convictions. Our children and grandchildren deserve no less in the schools of today where tomorrow’s democracy must be planted and sustained.
Thank you for this posting! I have become so disillusioned with the current state of affairs in education. I fear for our country’s future. Our value system is so out of whack. If it weren’t so cold, I’d think about moving to Finland!