Chubb stresses education choice

Combining issues of public policy, education and business, John Chubb is out to restructure the American school system that he believes deserves nothing more than an F. Chubb spoke last night in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall in the first of a series addressing public policy issues. Addressing the question "Do education and profits mix?", Chubb explained his role in the Edison Project, an organization that encourages privatization of public schools. Under this plan, school districts contract with private providers like the Edison Project to offer private schools of choice. The Project is the brainchild of nine individuals, including former Yale President Benno Schmidt, all of whom propose a comprehensive restructuring of American schools, which they see as inefficient institutions embroiled in bureaucratic red tape. Chubb said he believes the problem with today's educational system does not lie with increasing poverty levels or the breakdown of the family, as some maintain, but rather with the management of schools. "The problems of the American education are inherent in the way the educational system is structured," Chubb said. "The public schools in this country are controlled through a political process. "I do believe we have some serious problems in American education," Chubb added, citing the 12 percent dropout rate for American high school students. In order to improve the statistics, Chubb and his associates suggest that smaller schools be broken down into six "academies," each with its own organization and separate curriculum. Each academy will have three "houses," with 35 students per grade and four teachers, plus one tutor per house. Additionally, the houses will share four instructors specializing in the fields of music, art and design, health and physical fitness, and foreign language. The schools will foster an increased emphasis on technology, with every student and teacher receiving a personal computer for home use. Instructors will stress a hands-on approach to learning, which Chubb said will boost knowledge gain. "We've designed instructional methods for teachers that enable students to learn in much more interactional ways," Chubb said. Chubb added that he hopes this type of restructuring will make a high school diploma a step toward a profitable future, which he says is not the case today. "Children who do make it through high school tend to graduate not well prepared for college," he said. "The average graduate has an eighth grade command of math." This endows the United States with a reputation for education that is far from admirable, he added, stating that the country ranks between 10th and 15th in international comparison. The Edison Project has ongoing negotiations for school districts in Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Hawaii and Michigan. Out of 16,000 school districts nationwide, Chubb estimates that the project only needs to operate in 100 to 150 of these to be financially successful. Student reaction to Chubb's proposal was mixed. Graduate Education student Kristy Bennett is all for the undertaking, specifically its commitment to in house leadership. "It's the kind of thing I'd be willing to try," Bennett said. "One point in particular that I think is very important is the school-based management." Wharton senior Andy Levinson remained wary of the project. "It's a competitive market, but I still don't see how they are going to compete with public schools, and if they fail, what are the costs to the students?" he asked.