Last Friday, 26 leaders from Minnesota’s PreK-17 spectrum gathered for the second meeting of the Horizon Forum. Dr. Tom Tapper, superintendent of Owatonna Public Schools, presented a compelling argument that public education is nearing obsolescence. He states:
Today, the system of public education has a choice: it either leads change, or is led by it. The essence of our society is dynamic and is becoming innovative in nature. Changes in public education will follow, to refuse change is not an option, however, how we change is. The power to decide lies within it.
Dr. Arthur Harkins (University of Minnesota) followed with a presentation on undergraduate knowledge production and its innovative potentials in the College of Education and Human Development. The College, also, needs to decide whether it will lead or become obsolete, and that it has several alternatives:
- Help upgrade the USA culture, starting with families and schools
- Help massively (and selectively) encourage emigration of outstanding families and individuals to the USA
- Advocate funding of all ‘performing’ students fro PreK through 17 to create required human and social capital. (no student debt)
- Utilize advanced technology
The next Horizon Forum meeting will be on at 12:00pm on December 12 in Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota.
The current topic of the third forum is Human Capital Development and PreK-17 Education. More details on this upcoming event will be posted soon.
(Thanks to Tom Elko for providing notes from the meeting.)
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