My answer to practically every question is "Spend more on education".

[Donald Ian Rankin]

Especially, spend more on schools in deprived areas.


The economy? Better educated people are more productive.

Social mobility? Better education is the only way.

Gender inequality? The pipeline principle isn't just a myth; if you want more female scientists and engineers you need to start in grade school.

Crime? People who believe they can get a good future by studying are less likely to commit it.

Global warming, vaccination, creationism, etc? It should be obvious.

Social security? More educated people = fewer poor people = lower social security budget and/or more per person who needs it.

Scientific and technological progress? Obviously.

Racial inequality? Look up the amounts spend per capita on schools in predominantly white and predominantly black areas (and let me know if you do; I don't know these numbers, but I'd be interested to, and I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that the former is higher).


Pretty much the only way to make society better is to average level of education.

[upaloopa]

1. Social Security doesn't work that way

Maybe a little education is needed

[phil89]

2. Heavily emphasize critical thinking from a young age, please!

NT

[RKP5637]

3. Excellent!!! That, is definitely lacking in today's society! n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

4. I've never been sure what that means.

I've seen it used by people from all across the political spectrum, to advocate every conceivable educational approach.

Skills that I think are worth teaching include:

:-Maths and rigorous maths-type deductive thinking - can you work out the right answer?
:-Absorbing a large body of information about a subject over the course of weeks, and then answering questions or writing essays on that subject from memory, without access to texts. I think this is probably the nearest thing to "critical thinking" that it's actually possible to teach.
:-Writing coherent prose answers to given questions, with access to texts.
:-General knowledge - I think this is underrated, but probably hard to teach. But I think there would be a lot to be said for University Challenge (insert American equivalent here) as part of an education. It's easy to dismiss learning facts as "parroting", but I think that a) having access to a wide variety of facts is often useful cultural background, and b) learning facts is a useful skill.
:-"Non academic" skills - music, art, technology, drama etc. I'd allow children to specialise more and more early in these than is currently the case, though - I think that whereas it's important that everyone gets subjected to maths, English, the sciences and the humanities, there are only two categories of children it's worth teaching art or sport or music to beyond a fairly basic level: those with a gift for it, and those who enjoy it (and those are likely to overlap quite a lot). I'd like to see a certain amount of time a week allocated to these kinds of skills, and children given quite a lot of choice as to which to be taught in it, with the amount of choice increasing as they get older.

[phil89]

5. I think

Being taught symbolic logic and learning about logical fallacies is important.

[sorefeet]

6. EDUCATION EDUCATION EDUCATION

I swear education IS the answer. And guidance. They need guiding thru this society to avoid the corruption, lies and greed to stay on course of their passion. Their are many roadblocks (republicans) that will make you just throw up your hands and follow another path. I could have been a forest ranger and ended up being an industrial steel painter and hated every minute of it. I needed EDUCATION and guidance.

[baldguy]

7. .