Changing America’s education cannot be done easily or quickly. Change takes time and commitment. The Human Right of Education is stated in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, stating that; “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, including racial or religious groups.”

Under this declaration, there must be a balance between Liberal Arts and Vocational education for the sake of general knowledge and profitable sets of skills that will help students make successful career choices and more educated decisions for themselves and the community. America can modify their education to end the Traditional and Command sub-economies and start an education with a liberating market-logic. With plays like the CEC, America can began balancing education with a market economy.

In a market sub-economy, America’s education can allow students to act on their own best interests as well as create a more mutual understanding of expected accountability between student and post-high school option (college, workforce, military, etc.). As a result, freedom exists for everyone, decisions are decentralized, a variety of creative works will surface along with high satisfaction of what has been learned. Just as every system has it’s faults, a market economy may include an uncertainty of who students should aim for after high school on top of market failures due to lack of resources. Schools must provide students with the material, technology and experience to educationally create careers and intellectual thought that further their fundamental understanding of the respective class but this doesn’t finish the job (CEC).

In order to balance their education between Liberal Arts and Vocational education to achieve a full fledged market economy, there must be an annulment and/or replacement for Common Core, Regular and Honors courses, Standardized Testing. And GPA. First, Common Core needs to be abolished to prevent disadvantageous standards; Second, the separation of Regular and Honors courses must be abolished to promote cultural diffusion in the school setting, therefore promoting understanding and tolerance over a variety of differing backgrounds of the Student Body; Third, standardized testing must be replaced as the dominant system of showing a student’s true strengths (though it can still be utilized); and Fourth, a student’s GPA must be replaced by their Ten Intelligences.

In a 1983 book called, “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences,” Howard Gardner, currently the Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University, proposes a model in which there are ten intelligences being: Linguistics, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Teaching, Musical, Existential, Logical and Mathematical (as one), Spatial, Naturalist, and Bodily Kinesthetics. When applying this model to an education system, Ten Attributes can be listed under every student: Literary Arts, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, Administration, Music, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, Technology (or ‘Applied Arts’), and Athletics.

With these Ten Attributes, student activity (creative projects, essays, builts, studies, actions, etc.) in the respective Intelligence can be Scored towards that attribute without stress of failing. There will be Score Benchmarks that a student must meet to move on to the next grade level/graduate,  receive optional honor roll and applicable college credit. The Liberal Art subjects (Core Classes) will be required to meet these Score Benchmarks with another three attributes. There will be no Score Limit, providing a competition for the High Score. The Ten students with the High Score of their respective Attributes will replace the Top Ten GPA Students.

This modded game will allow students who are motivated in a specific Attribute, to prioritize that Attribute while avoiding discrediting the Liberal Arts. Allowing students to partake in extracurricular activities (both in and outside of school) without worry that a low average will stop them as well as opening them to be honored rolled and receive college credit as their Attribute Scores are based off of what they do. Students will be offered the opportunity to reach these Score Benchmarks with their fellow, now culturally diffused, classmates and will not be punished for not doing the work but will be punished for not doing enough work. It’s based around their motivation of their respective intelligence, allowing the student to focus on where their interests and strengths are as well as provide both Liberal Arts and Vocational education.

Colleges and other post-high school options can see where the student Scores highest to know what they’re good at rather than looking at a single grade number which averages the strengths and weaknesses of a student despite already being skewed towards Liberal Arts. In order to began modding education, the 2015 ‘Every Student Succeeds Act’ must be changed or replaced to end standardized testing which the 2001 ‘No Child Left Behind Act’ started.

Article 26 of the U.N’s Declaration also states that, “Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.” The Declaration was drafted by a committee lead by an American, a former First Lady of the U.S. Listen to Eleanor Roosevelt, to Eddy Zhong, Jonathan Levi, Howard Gardner. Listen to the countries ranked significantly higher in education like Finland, who rarely hands out homework or standardized tests; who doesn’t race through lessons to cram information for a end year exam; who puts their teachers on the same level of respect and pay as professors, doctors and lawyers and continuously trains teachers by not sticking them and students in a classroom for more than seven hours a day. It’s time to change but change can’t be rushed; change can’t be immediate. Education is essential and there’s more to discuss so let’s start the conversation and began modding the game.

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