After having read the Atlanta paper's recent story on what's about to happen here in Georgia public high schools, I couldn't stop thinking about it. The trending isn't at all encouraging in that a number of states have already adopted the legislation. State legislatures that adopt this way of executing public high school education will inevitably encourage students (even more so that what is currently the case) to instrumentalize their education, because the list of high school "majors" from which students much choose tilt heavily in the direction of vocational skills training. Of course, the vision being cast here is jobs, jobs, jobs. I'm all for job creation, but a solid high school education needs to be so much more than that. It needs to begin to cultivate the mind of the student so that he or she can unfold further as a productive, virtuous citizen that contributes to the common good. It is an understatement to say that the state, such as it is, just isn't competent to grasp the rich, ancient concept of paideia--or common learning--whose purpose is to liberate the human spirit in the educational process. This law only confirms that claim. Furthermore, if laws on the books mandate this new angle for public higher education, what is to follow for accredited private K-12 education and home-schooling?
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-to-require-students-1257641.html#.TuwGtV-lQBY.email
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