Now that we know where we are and how we got here, where do we need to be and how do we get there? Identifying where we need to be is not so difficult. There is no shortage of research into what policy changes are needed, where money should be spent and how – Rising Above the Gathering Storm does a fine job of identifying this. How we get there from here is another matter entirely.
The obstacles to changing the US educational system, particularly at a primary and secondary level, are numerous but thankfully easy to enumerate. The problems fall into three main categories: political, educational, and cultural. The balance of this discussion will be looking at the organizational issues with and obstacles to change in each of these.
The political climate will always affect the educational climate, for it is the policy makers who control funding. One of the issues with the policy makers is what they expect to get out of science. Many scientists see the pursuit of knowledge as an end in itself, whereas politicians want tangible results for their money. There has been no shortage in political support for research into defense projects, for example – nearly 80 billion was budgeted for Department of Defense R&D in Fiscal Year 2009. That is more than the budget of the entire Department of Education – which as an aside certain politicians have previously attempted to dismantle altogether. Admittedly, the ED accounts for only a tenth of the budget for primary and secondary education, the rest being funded at the state and local level. However, I believe this speaks to where our priorities are. Policy makers want to see tangible results for the money they spend. This can be seen with No Child Left Behind. It accounts for nearly half of the ED budget, and produces test scores that can be seen and measured.
In order for politicians to support meaningful change that actively supports scientific innovation and understanding, they must first understand what science is. Only 5% of ( 1 in 20 ) national politicians have any sort of background in the sciences, and most of those are former doctors. As they tend not to understand basic science research, they tend to not understand why it is important. Not too long ago, a certain politician speaking about government waste gave research on fruit flies as an example of a pet project that was completely unnecessary. That research has helped scientists understand more about the mechanisms of autism.