Education & Economics

Woodford heavily defends the need for democracy in music education. In doing so, he brings light to what truly goes on in public schools across the nation. If one had to choose a governmental system that would parallel the structure of the current educational system, it would not be democracy. Public schools around the country give unequal advantages and privileges to their students. Academic possibility is often defined by the economic status of the area in which students live, not their intelligence level or drive to succeed. The amount of funding that schools receive is relative to the amount of capital that has been accumulated within their communities. Surely, this is not democratic. A true democracy equally represents all citizens, enabling their rights to be fulfilled. Should it not be that all American citizens receive the same opportunities in education? It seems that economics plays a larger role than politics in education.

Education today is a specialized system in that it molds students into capable people, ready to contribute to the current workforce. Students are taught trades and skills that will lead them directly to a specific job that supports the business field today. Supporters of the system would claim that young adults learn a task that will ensure them a job, preparing them for the real world. Also, business continues to run smoothly since new generations are able to fit into old ways. On the other hand, this system does not allow students to grow into who they really are, able to create a new field or position that would suit them, changing the entire work industry. I believe that each generation should be able to reinvent itself, taking positive concepts from older generations while adding new ones that compliment the changes society has made. There is little or no originality when systems circulate year after year.

Block discussed accountability on the part of the citizen. When people feel as if their individual outlook and input makes a difference on a large scale, they are accountable. Accountability is something people take ownership for, on a deep, personal level while a responsibility is more of an obligation. Block suggested that citizens are either consumers or clients within their environments. If they are consumers, then they believe on some level that their needs can be satisfied by others. However, clients make their own decisions and are served by the public.

When students feel accountable for their actions, they become clients of the educational system, choosing what they wish to know and explore. When education serves the public, it is becomes a democratic system. The trick is to provide equal opportunity for students from all areas, of different economic levels, genders, and races. If the ideal educational system were to be represented by an economic system, it would be socialism. All students would be provided with the same academic opportunities but have to work of their own free will in order to achieve success. This is like socialism in that everyone starts off with the same, basic requirements met and can then work harder to gain more, if they so choose. Many institutions are socialistic in nature. The police department gives all citizens equal rights. If someone’s home is being threatened by another, they can receive protection regardless of their economic status. The educational system should act in the same way.