3 Ideas That Have Made Public Schools Worse

Ideas matter. And wrong ideas have led most American schools down the wrong path in recent decades. As a parent, you should learn about these ideas and how we can overcome them to make schools places where all students can thrive. For the curious parent ready for a deeper dive, watch this 7 minute explainer:

Three bad ideas:

1. Matters of right and wrong are up to each individual.

2. Knowledge is not important.

3. Students will learn to read “naturally” and don’t need phonics instruction.

At Monticello Academy, we believe:

1. Values like respect, integrity, service and friendship, and work should be taught and reinforced both at home and at school.

2. Knowledge is the good stuff! Schools should purposefully and systematically build students’ background knowledge, especially their understanding of history and culture.

3. Students need a systematic curriculum of phonics to become fluent, confident, joyful readers.

Better ideas yield better results: