By Bill Murrin
2016
Only the Self-Reliant Remain Free1
Introduction: An Education in the Useful Arts & Sciences
Fundamentally, the concept of this foundation is to analyze education’s purpose and how to deliver it in the most effective and efficient manner possible – i.e. no more and no less than what is needed for each individual, and each individual’s needs are unique. This requires customization. If an individual’s career aspirations do not require postsecondary education, which encompasses the vast majority of a population, then programs should be tailored to those aspirations. The National Education Association (NEA, 1918) points out: “[F]rom the secondary school the majority of pupils pass directly into participation in the activities of our society.” (p. 23) This is still the case today.
Education is not an end in itself but a means to an end, and the quicker and more efficiently we get individuals through the system without all the superfluous baggage that currently attends the credentialing process, the better it is for each individual and for society. The resources of individuals in both time and money are not to be dismissed as unimportant as it currently seems to be. Students waste an inordinate amount of time learning useless information when they should learn relevant information to their future lives. In addition, the resources of society are always stretched to the limit so a balance between efficiencies and effectiveness are a must. We are currently light years away from this goal, which informs us that our system is bloated with information that takes far too much time to learn but with little to show for it.
It’s time to assess what is really needed and then refine the system so individuals can make it through the credentialing process while they are still young.