A Treatise on Alternative Education Systems ― And the Need for Change in American Secondary Education

This treatise offers a systematic argument for implementing significant structural changes to traditional American secondary education. It posits that the existing education system does not serve the needs of up to eighty percent of public high school students and that the principles of competition, standardization, and efficiency, which currently drive the system, serve to create a student academic hierarchy from which the top 20%-30% of four-year college applicants are drawn. Following a methodical analysis of the existing structure, the treatise examines the effects of the three principles as they shape students’ cognitive, social, and emotional development. Thereafter, it discusses general alternative principles for structural change and puts forth a concrete example of a viable alternative education system. The treatise concludes with an assessment that such changes would have upon students, teachers, parents, and administrators within the education community.