I just had a couple of thoughts in response to Vana's comments:
> I apologize for the shorthand and lack of clarity. My assumption is
> that society at large is the customer.
I think society is one customer, but there are multiple customers,
internal and external.
> The purpose of any educational system
> that has ever been created has been to mold young people into productive
> and valued citizens.
There will forever be a debate about the purposes of educational systems
-- whether they are seen as forces for liberation or control, among other
things.
> It sounds much simpler than it is, obviously. The
> ways in which we have attempted to meet this goal (and how this goal has
> been defined) have been as diverse as the countries, religions,
> cultures, and people creating them.
> My other assumption is that the eudcational system occurs throughout
> childhood, and is therefore a 20-year process at least, until that child
> reaches adulthood. If the educational system is extensive, it may be
> more. If the learners have been taught to teach themselves, the (total)
> fruit of this investment will not be borne for many many years.
Related to this assumption -- research on adult learning is comforting in
that it shows that we continue to learn throughout our lives. We don't
just peak at 25 and then start an inexorable downhill slide! So,
hopefully, the learning process is much longer than 20 years and given the
advanced age of many of the students in our community college system, it
appears that the educational process extends that long, as well!
Harriett.
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