something to think about...

Class size reduction. Standardized testing. Arts and music education. Increasing student engagement. Do these sound like issues the U.S. Department of Education is grappling with? You betcha, but so are 8th grade students from Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown, Maryland. Last week 14 middle school students presented their research findings to ED staff on issues that affect their own learning. Their innovative ideas impressed everyone in the room and provided suggestions for fixing some of our country’s deepest problems. Rachit Argawal and Diwakar Ganesan shared, “Our current education model is conceived from the economic and social standpoint of the Industrial Revolution. Centuries later we have the same system!” They proposed creating a system where students in grades 6-12 choose the classes they take with math and English being the only compulsory subjects. They found that student choice increases motivation and achievement, counters distractions, and leads to autonomy and creativity.