As children head back to school, it’s a good time to assess the current state of education in America. Over the decades, we have expanded the number of voters and we have expanded the access to education. How are we doing in producing an “educated electorate?” Don Nielsen, program chair of ACTE says, “Not well."

Too often, educational leaders sidestep the true crux of our educational crisis: the system itself. This system has become obsolete in the information age. Many suggest that money is the problem, that funding is never enough. This is false. The system is the problem.

“The sooner we see that a lot more high school education should be alternative education, the faster we grasp the future.” - John M. McLaughlin in The Appeal of Alternative Education. In other words, education should provide a preparation for life for all children, not just those in the traditional public schools.

As conveyed in EducationWeek, the workforce is transforming from technological changes, but K-12 schools are stuck in the mud. Don Nielsen argues, “Failing to adjust to societal changes has caused our schools to educate poorly or to under-educate almost three generations of our citizens."