How do you deliver quality generic education?
According to Win Straube, this may be the most significant question we have before us in the United States and the rest of the world. No one will argue that education is not one of the most important issues facing us today. And, no one will argue that quality education is not needed for the world of today and tomorrow. But just acknowledging that education is an important issue requiring our attention, doesn't guarantee quality education will be provided to all.
There are people who are totally involved in education at all levels, including, government, academic institution, and the acquisition of information and deployment of knowledge. Most of these are dedicated professionals serving in a variety of capacities to create, improve and deliver education. While many of these professionals feel that their contributions are significant, especially to the student population that they serve, they would readily list a number of modifications, changes and suggestions that they feel would improve their educational systems, if only they could be heard.
This book is one that needed to be written, as it lays out before us the major factors that influence education and those that hinder its improvement. Looking at the various levels of educational institutions and delivery systems, as is done in the first part of this book, will help the reader understand two things, 1) there are a variety of ways to deliver education, via established institutions, and 2) there is an inherent reluctance on any institution to adjust the educational channel to become better distributors of learning if it involves change.
The investors in the existing educational systems are, by their very nature, protective of the standards and accepted best practices that have evolved over time to support that system and generate an optimal outcome. These individuals will declare that for those who qualify and meet the minimal standards of entry, the existing system does a very good job of molding and educating the students during their passage through the well-defined educational process. While these educators will sympathize with those who are not accepted into the educational learning talent pool, or will feel badly for those in other environments that do not support or provide access to quality education, they will shake their heads and say "if only we could establish another system just like the one we belong to, we might be able to help".
For those who see the larger picture, who see more people not served properly by the existing education system, who visit communities or countries that cannot afford to invest in such a system, or for that matter sustain one even if it were created by some well-meaning government aid program ... these people shake their heads and see the need for very different strategies to meet the growing educational requirements of the rest of the country and world.
My background is that of a secondary school mathematics educator who came from a family of educators (my father was a history teacher, mother was a reading teachers, my two sisters are art teachers, one of my brothers-in-law is a science teachers, and my wife is an elementary teacher). I also spent three years on my local school board, one year as its president, so I think I have a valid perspective on what the current hard working, professional educational practitioners think. But I must tell you, for me the river of thought on education has been formed by the confluence of two separate streams. I also had the opportunity to work with emerging computer technology over the past 30 years, participating in its development and use from simple PC's to the world-wide-web. I was the major force behind the first (and most successful) comprehensive basic skills curriculum delivered entirely via computer based education terminals, and am currently the author of a published K-8 mathematics curriculum delivered daily via computers to thousands of students across the USA. So, I have a somewhat broader view of what can be accomplished within and outside of the traditional educational institutions.
For example, if you understand that the need for learning is life long and that the traditional educational resources available to adults are over booked, often inaccessible, and mostly too expensive for those who need to acquire the knowledge, then you are immediately forced to look at alternative methods for educational delivery using technology deployment. To respond to the emerging global need with the existing educational infrastructure is folly. We would not even have enough time to educate the teachers needed before they would be overwhelmed by the sheer number of learners they would need to serve. The old ways have worked well for the established social structure, but that structure is changing dramatically with the advent of the global economy. We need to find more universal methods that will still produce quality results, if we are to progress effectively and keep pace with the development of educated workers.
It is very clear to me that the issues addressed in this book need to be given careful consideration. And, having someone like Win Straube, who is a world citizen, look at the symptoms, problems and potential solutions is refreshing. Win has no hidden agenda to put forth except that he wants all individuals around the globe to have access to quality education. Win sees clearly that certain established educational systems, while quite effective within certain domains, are deficient and inappropriate responses to the larger educational crisis we are facing. Win sees that technology has advanced to the point where it might become the great equalizer by providing the opportunity to access quality education from anywhere, at any time, for any purpose. Whether you agree with Win or not, if this book gets you to think about the need for alternative educational innovations, it is worth your while to read it. I must say that I support him in this quest and hope that by raising the issues he is motivating us to consider alternative actions, while striving to maintain the best of what we current have in place.
Peter J. Rizza, Jr., Ph.D., President,
Princeton Center for Education Services, Inc.
http://www.princetoncenter.com/
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
WNYC Radio Interview regarding QGE=A
On January 3rd, 2008, Win Straube was interviewed on WNYC Radio's Brian Lehrer Show. The radio segment was entitled "Straube Effect" and included discussion about Win's life, how he became who he is today and his interest in what he has called, Quality Generic Education. The full length audio version of the interview is downloadable at http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2008/01/03. Following is a transcript of the portion of the interview pertaining to "QGE=A; Quality Generic Education is the Answer" published in 2007 by University Press of America, Inc.
BL: Your new book is about this concept that you call Quality Generic Education and technology is very involved in that; correct?
WS: Correct.
BL: Tell us about that.
WS: Yes. Well as a matter of fact our education system, the way it works, today still is very much, I would say maybe 2000 years old. It is teaching a classroom of people or it evolved into this. While today you could teach the whole world from one TV studio provided you had the right kind of setup and the pupils were paying attention. In other words, it’s a matter of, to learn you’ve got to be present, not necessarily in person but your mind needs to be present. So the issue is how to connect your learning mind with the teacher and nowadays this is possible to have the best teachers in the world provide the knowledge to essentially everyone. And this is what this book is all about.
BL: Ah. So, even though people may consider it kind of cold and maybe even dehumanizing to do education in front of a television monitor or computer monitor, you’re saying that an advantage of that would be that there would be fewer teachers and only the best ones would be doing the job?
WS: Well, as I explained in the book, there are going to be different versions of teachers. Now the one teacher who is making the presentation, is the one let’s say like Brian Lehrer teaching to the rest of the nation and having the audience. However, there is another group of teachers in front of him which would be the one who would prepare the material to be taught, and this is very essential. In other words, you have the best materials to work from and to teach and the ones who would develop the tests, like the people who would work for Educational Testing Services in Princeton, these are all in essence teachers. Now on the other side would be teachers at the station where the message is being received. In other words in front of this monitor, or a classroom with a monitor, a teacher would be present or it could be the parent or other; I call them facilitators.
BL: If you have teachers present in the room, why do you need the TV monitors?
WS: Well because of what is being transmitted. In other words, the teacher in the room may not have the qualifications or the knowledge which is being transmitted.
BL: It’s a very centralized view of education then right? It’s one that believes that expertise can be disseminated by the experts more effectively than by trying to have – you know in New York we have 80,000 teachers just for one city’s public school system – more than relying on them as much as we do today. Do I understand it correctly?
WS: Well, let’s take the example of pilot training. If you have to learn how to fly a specific airplane, you had better get the correct instructions and hopefully from the best instructor you can have for this, and it doesn’t matter where this instructor is located so long as this message reaches you. However, if you leave this or if you have 20,000 teachers disseminating the same information and assuming they don’t have all the same knowledge and not the same qualifications then this message will become quite different.
BL: Are you talking about all ages, by the way, or only older kids or higher education?
WS: I am talking about all ages.
BL: You are?
WS: Yes.
BL: Well let me take a caller who wants to question that, I think, for younger children. Joshua in Greenwich, you are on WNYC with Win Straube author of Quality Generic Education. Hi Joshua.
Joshua: Hi, I am an elementary school teacher in Greenwich and I actually have the pleasure of working in two buildings so I am driving from one school to another right now and as much as I would like to beam myself into these classrooms and stay at home, possibly in my bed, I think a lot of what is being said is operating under this largely-accepted fallacy that there is one right way to teach it or one method.
BL: Right, or one best way.
Joshua: Yes.
BL: I’m going to leave it there and ask our guest; do you believe that as he stated it?
WS: No. In fact there are a quite a number of things which can not be taught long distance. For instance, if you had to do laboratory work, in chemistry or things like this, definitely you’d have to do this in person and you may have disadvantaged children who need far more than an image to learn from and obviously this would have to be dealt with this way. However, I would assume, that in a school or, like your listener reported, you would have two of them where you are teaching, and particularly for small children, you may have presentations in there like from Sesame Street Workshop which are essentially distance learning methods while the rest goes on. In other words, I am not saying that 100 percent of the time and that in all cases, there is only one way of how knowledge can be distributed; not at all.
BL: We just have a minute left, what do you hope that your foundation will accomplish?
WS: The purpose of the foundation is to show and to accomplish how anyone, anywhere can obtain a high quality, world class education at the least amount of expense or at no cost at all.
BL: Win Straube is the author of QGE=A, which stands for Quality Generic Education is the Answer. Thank you for joining us.
WS: Thank you.
BL: Your new book is about this concept that you call Quality Generic Education and technology is very involved in that; correct?
WS: Correct.
BL: Tell us about that.
WS: Yes. Well as a matter of fact our education system, the way it works, today still is very much, I would say maybe 2000 years old. It is teaching a classroom of people or it evolved into this. While today you could teach the whole world from one TV studio provided you had the right kind of setup and the pupils were paying attention. In other words, it’s a matter of, to learn you’ve got to be present, not necessarily in person but your mind needs to be present. So the issue is how to connect your learning mind with the teacher and nowadays this is possible to have the best teachers in the world provide the knowledge to essentially everyone. And this is what this book is all about.
BL: Ah. So, even though people may consider it kind of cold and maybe even dehumanizing to do education in front of a television monitor or computer monitor, you’re saying that an advantage of that would be that there would be fewer teachers and only the best ones would be doing the job?
WS: Well, as I explained in the book, there are going to be different versions of teachers. Now the one teacher who is making the presentation, is the one let’s say like Brian Lehrer teaching to the rest of the nation and having the audience. However, there is another group of teachers in front of him which would be the one who would prepare the material to be taught, and this is very essential. In other words, you have the best materials to work from and to teach and the ones who would develop the tests, like the people who would work for Educational Testing Services in Princeton, these are all in essence teachers. Now on the other side would be teachers at the station where the message is being received. In other words in front of this monitor, or a classroom with a monitor, a teacher would be present or it could be the parent or other; I call them facilitators.
BL: If you have teachers present in the room, why do you need the TV monitors?
WS: Well because of what is being transmitted. In other words, the teacher in the room may not have the qualifications or the knowledge which is being transmitted.
BL: It’s a very centralized view of education then right? It’s one that believes that expertise can be disseminated by the experts more effectively than by trying to have – you know in New York we have 80,000 teachers just for one city’s public school system – more than relying on them as much as we do today. Do I understand it correctly?
WS: Well, let’s take the example of pilot training. If you have to learn how to fly a specific airplane, you had better get the correct instructions and hopefully from the best instructor you can have for this, and it doesn’t matter where this instructor is located so long as this message reaches you. However, if you leave this or if you have 20,000 teachers disseminating the same information and assuming they don’t have all the same knowledge and not the same qualifications then this message will become quite different.
BL: Are you talking about all ages, by the way, or only older kids or higher education?
WS: I am talking about all ages.
BL: You are?
WS: Yes.
BL: Well let me take a caller who wants to question that, I think, for younger children. Joshua in Greenwich, you are on WNYC with Win Straube author of Quality Generic Education. Hi Joshua.
Joshua: Hi, I am an elementary school teacher in Greenwich and I actually have the pleasure of working in two buildings so I am driving from one school to another right now and as much as I would like to beam myself into these classrooms and stay at home, possibly in my bed, I think a lot of what is being said is operating under this largely-accepted fallacy that there is one right way to teach it or one method.
BL: Right, or one best way.
Joshua: Yes.
BL: I’m going to leave it there and ask our guest; do you believe that as he stated it?
WS: No. In fact there are a quite a number of things which can not be taught long distance. For instance, if you had to do laboratory work, in chemistry or things like this, definitely you’d have to do this in person and you may have disadvantaged children who need far more than an image to learn from and obviously this would have to be dealt with this way. However, I would assume, that in a school or, like your listener reported, you would have two of them where you are teaching, and particularly for small children, you may have presentations in there like from Sesame Street Workshop which are essentially distance learning methods while the rest goes on. In other words, I am not saying that 100 percent of the time and that in all cases, there is only one way of how knowledge can be distributed; not at all.
BL: We just have a minute left, what do you hope that your foundation will accomplish?
WS: The purpose of the foundation is to show and to accomplish how anyone, anywhere can obtain a high quality, world class education at the least amount of expense or at no cost at all.
BL: Win Straube is the author of QGE=A, which stands for Quality Generic Education is the Answer. Thank you for joining us.
WS: Thank you.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Is Quality Generic Education the Answer? Consider this book review...
QGE=A, Quality Generic Education is the Answer
By Win Straube
ISBN-10: 076183771X
Web Page: www.univpress.com
Review by Heather Froeschl
I have been an advocate for my children’s education and I will continue to be, despite being labeled by some teachers as “the problem parent” of the classroom. If that is what it takes to be involved, then so be it. Win Straube encourages parents and educators alike, as well as every citizen, to become more involved in our nation’s children’s education, in our own education, and subsequently, in our nation’s future. In his book “QGE=A, Quality Generic Education is the Answer” readers will be inspired to find ways in which the best education can be offered at the lowest possible cost.
Is this book relevant to every United States citizen, regardless of their being a parent, teacher or student? Absolutely. We are all parts of the main cog system and we all have the power to make positive change. So what is Quality Generic Education? It is identical quality to “brand name” education that is universally applicable, available to all, and not ideologically directed. In short, it means that an education garnered from a state university would be of equal value to one from Harvard. I can hear the gasps of disbelief at such a notion, but I am all for such a concept to become a reality. How can it? Straube knows about education, and he explains it all very nicely.
The author discusses a motivation to learn that he hopes all citizens are capable of, the roles of parents and teachers, the purpose of public schools, and what we should all be doing to encourage learning. His explanation of generic education includes the examination of lessons taught without bias or religious influence on student’s opinions and focuses on what we need to do in order to make our nation’s education systems more efficient, and more readily accepted by other educational systems. Looking at our higher education possibilities, and what is now available through long-distance learning, and the internet and the costs of those things, Straube is explaining the future of our children’s and grandchildren’s education. He speaks of what distracts us as students, what is lacking in our learning, and even explains how a college education is not enough to ensure success. What is the cost for education? Is it simply funds? Is it the promise of student loans, or is it also the price of our personal beliefs when the school we attend is telling us what to believe? There is much to examine, and Win Straube certainly opens the eyes of his readers.
“QGE=A” is a greatly researched and fact backed book, offering a lengthy and valuable appendix. The style is straightforward and convincing of the need for change, yet Straube’s voice is not demanding in an overpowering way. He knows what needs to be done and offers his guidance, wisdom, and plans to every reader. I encourage everyone with the slightest interest in our schools and colleges, students and teachers, and our nation’s competitive future, to read this book and take a step toward creating a better learning environment for all.
By Win Straube
ISBN-10: 076183771X
Web Page: www.univpress.com
Review by Heather Froeschl
I have been an advocate for my children’s education and I will continue to be, despite being labeled by some teachers as “the problem parent” of the classroom. If that is what it takes to be involved, then so be it. Win Straube encourages parents and educators alike, as well as every citizen, to become more involved in our nation’s children’s education, in our own education, and subsequently, in our nation’s future. In his book “QGE=A, Quality Generic Education is the Answer” readers will be inspired to find ways in which the best education can be offered at the lowest possible cost.
Is this book relevant to every United States citizen, regardless of their being a parent, teacher or student? Absolutely. We are all parts of the main cog system and we all have the power to make positive change. So what is Quality Generic Education? It is identical quality to “brand name” education that is universally applicable, available to all, and not ideologically directed. In short, it means that an education garnered from a state university would be of equal value to one from Harvard. I can hear the gasps of disbelief at such a notion, but I am all for such a concept to become a reality. How can it? Straube knows about education, and he explains it all very nicely.
The author discusses a motivation to learn that he hopes all citizens are capable of, the roles of parents and teachers, the purpose of public schools, and what we should all be doing to encourage learning. His explanation of generic education includes the examination of lessons taught without bias or religious influence on student’s opinions and focuses on what we need to do in order to make our nation’s education systems more efficient, and more readily accepted by other educational systems. Looking at our higher education possibilities, and what is now available through long-distance learning, and the internet and the costs of those things, Straube is explaining the future of our children’s and grandchildren’s education. He speaks of what distracts us as students, what is lacking in our learning, and even explains how a college education is not enough to ensure success. What is the cost for education? Is it simply funds? Is it the promise of student loans, or is it also the price of our personal beliefs when the school we attend is telling us what to believe? There is much to examine, and Win Straube certainly opens the eyes of his readers.
“QGE=A” is a greatly researched and fact backed book, offering a lengthy and valuable appendix. The style is straightforward and convincing of the need for change, yet Straube’s voice is not demanding in an overpowering way. He knows what needs to be done and offers his guidance, wisdom, and plans to every reader. I encourage everyone with the slightest interest in our schools and colleges, students and teachers, and our nation’s competitive future, to read this book and take a step toward creating a better learning environment for all.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Between the Lines Editorial
The column below was prepared by Barbara Fox for the October 31, 2007 issue of U.S. 1 Newspaper.
Last week's coverage of teenagers and education struck some nerves. Euna Kwon Brossman's article on Etta Kralovec, author of "The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning," prompted teeth gnashing by one of our colleagues. "I should have written that book," she said. "Thirty years ago I thought homework was adults taking revenge on children."
Another article, an excerpt from Win Straube's most recent book, on the current state of education, brought phone calls and E-mails to the Pennington-based businessman, who is currently in Hawaii. In his book, "QGE=A," Straube maintains that what he calls Quality Generic Education will result in better education today and tomorrow, at less cost. Today's schools, he writes, are often like factories, continuing to mimic an outdated industrial worker organization.
Albert Stark, of the Stark & Stark law firm on Lenox Drive, writes to say that Trenton is "the perfect example of the malady that Win Straube describes." He refers to the case where administrators forged documents and gave ninth graders passing grades for courses that were not taught. "Only when the students were about to graduate was the fraud discovered."
"Win is espousing an approach to education that he experienced. What it does not address, to my satisfaction, is the social fabric that is torn in the economically impoverished home, often caught in a morass of a drug-infested and crime-infested neighborhood.
"Interestingly enough," continues Stark, "the approach that understands the challenge and mends the fabric is being used by George Pruitt at Thomas Edison College.
"Where Win has hit the nail on the head is his espousal of market research being used to define and address the needs of students. This is a very different focus from that being used in our nation's schools and universities today, that is, an approach that researches the needs of the teachers and professors. That focus leads to a curriculum that attracts students to the teachers' and professors' classrooms and thus, to the school.
"Win's thesis is endemic to teachers' unions and to entrenched administrators. Perhaps that's why his book is so darn important," writes Stark.
It turns out that Straube and Kralovec often agree. Kralovec inveighs against homework because it "robs families of valuable time together, time that would be better spent bonding in other ways. Time at home should be designed by parents and should include things like cultural traditions and religious traditions. Homework interferes with the educational agenda that should be set by parents for their own children."
Similarly, Straube wants parents to be the most important teachers for their children, so they "can pass their values and world views to their offspring, and enjoy with them the process of learning."
Straube invites others who want to weigh in on the state of education to contribute to http://www.straube.blogspot.com./
Last week's coverage of teenagers and education struck some nerves. Euna Kwon Brossman's article on Etta Kralovec, author of "The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning," prompted teeth gnashing by one of our colleagues. "I should have written that book," she said. "Thirty years ago I thought homework was adults taking revenge on children."
Another article, an excerpt from Win Straube's most recent book, on the current state of education, brought phone calls and E-mails to the Pennington-based businessman, who is currently in Hawaii. In his book, "QGE=A," Straube maintains that what he calls Quality Generic Education will result in better education today and tomorrow, at less cost. Today's schools, he writes, are often like factories, continuing to mimic an outdated industrial worker organization.
Albert Stark, of the Stark & Stark law firm on Lenox Drive, writes to say that Trenton is "the perfect example of the malady that Win Straube describes." He refers to the case where administrators forged documents and gave ninth graders passing grades for courses that were not taught. "Only when the students were about to graduate was the fraud discovered."
"Win is espousing an approach to education that he experienced. What it does not address, to my satisfaction, is the social fabric that is torn in the economically impoverished home, often caught in a morass of a drug-infested and crime-infested neighborhood.
"Interestingly enough," continues Stark, "the approach that understands the challenge and mends the fabric is being used by George Pruitt at Thomas Edison College.
"Where Win has hit the nail on the head is his espousal of market research being used to define and address the needs of students. This is a very different focus from that being used in our nation's schools and universities today, that is, an approach that researches the needs of the teachers and professors. That focus leads to a curriculum that attracts students to the teachers' and professors' classrooms and thus, to the school.
"Win's thesis is endemic to teachers' unions and to entrenched administrators. Perhaps that's why his book is so darn important," writes Stark.
It turns out that Straube and Kralovec often agree. Kralovec inveighs against homework because it "robs families of valuable time together, time that would be better spent bonding in other ways. Time at home should be designed by parents and should include things like cultural traditions and religious traditions. Homework interferes with the educational agenda that should be set by parents for their own children."
Similarly, Straube wants parents to be the most important teachers for their children, so they "can pass their values and world views to their offspring, and enjoy with them the process of learning."
Straube invites others who want to weigh in on the state of education to contribute to http://www.straube.blogspot.com./
Monday, October 29, 2007
Financial Illiteracy Hits “HOME”
These days it is virtually impossible to open a newspaper or listen to a media report without encountering comments about the ongoing mortgage crisis which is roiling our financial markets. Mortgage companies by the hundreds are vanishing, major institutions are reporting billions in losses, thousands of good people are losing their homes to foreclosures and high profile executives dismissed on what seems like a daily basis.
The commentators and editorialists are busily conducting their customary hunt for those deemed responsible for this state of affairs. All the while, they pontificate about the evils of sub-prime finance and the sales tactics which led regular people to assume financial obligations beyond their means. “Wall Street”, mortgage brokers, bond syndicators and regulators have all been singled out for a share of blame for the current debacle.
But what of the victims, the innocent homeowners who took on loans they could not service? Enticed by low teaser rates and minimal monthly payments in the early years of long term mortgages they signed on to risky loan agreements in droves and are now suffering undeniable financial and personal pain. Should they have been more cognizant of the risks they were assuming?
Everyone is accustomed to seeing easy terms and low monthly payments for consumer goods and automobiles. “Buying the low payment”, even without considering the term of the contract or true cost of the deal is frequently the most important factor in the car purchase decision.
All of us would like to obtain some items which might be beyond our means and, after all, how badly can we be hurt by paying a bit too much for a car or expensive electronics system by paying an affordable amount on a monthly basis even if the total outlay makes the transaction less than a bargain? The answer is that while we can be out of pocket for an extra year or so there won’t be fatal financial consequences so long as we keep up the payments.
On the other hand, fatal financial consequences can ensue very quickly when this mindset is applied to the purchase of a $400,000+ house where the 2/28 loan agreement requires the monthly payments to nearly double after the first two years as the rate resets and the loan principal increases to accommodate the cost of the below market interest rate for the initial 24 months.
Slick sales presentations, easy credit and lax regulation are a significant part of the problem here but our first line of defense is ourselves and our financial literacy. Understanding compound interest, the mechanics of a loan agreement and the applicable mortgage tables are vital skills which all of us need to survive the financial realities of the 21st century. A failure to understand the principle financial elements of the mortgage and credit card contracts we enter can be extraordinarily expensive if subsequent events result in foreclosure, bankruptcy or even a reduced credit rating.
As the world becomes more complex and paternal corporations go the way of the dinosaur, financial literacy is becoming more and more important as illustrated by the current upset. Even those not involved have to be wary of their respective futures as the promise of social security is less certain, health care costs are soaring and pensions are moving to extinction for non-government workers.
These undeniable social trends heap more and more responsibility upon the individual to prepare, plan and execute an affordable lifestyle strategy as well as an equally important retirement plan. Financial literacy is rapidly becoming something we cannot afford to be without, yet the public schools do not address these skills.
All the writing and mathematical skills and abilities, carefully taught and absorbed over an educational career, will not allow today’s young adult to recognize the importance of early retirement planning, personal finance, credit card management and the elements of the myriad mortgage contracts available today without specific financial training.
The lack of financial literacy training in the prevailing educational systems is as serious a deficiency as can be imaginable. False financial moves early in life involving student loans, credit cards or other instruments can haunt young people for the rest of their lives through large debt loads and the expensive consequences of a poor credit score.
The public education system must take notice of this hole in their programs and address the matter or many financial lives will continue to be damaged and essentially lost!
Patrick L. Ryan, Esq.
Chairman
Hopewell Valley Community Bank
The commentators and editorialists are busily conducting their customary hunt for those deemed responsible for this state of affairs. All the while, they pontificate about the evils of sub-prime finance and the sales tactics which led regular people to assume financial obligations beyond their means. “Wall Street”, mortgage brokers, bond syndicators and regulators have all been singled out for a share of blame for the current debacle.
But what of the victims, the innocent homeowners who took on loans they could not service? Enticed by low teaser rates and minimal monthly payments in the early years of long term mortgages they signed on to risky loan agreements in droves and are now suffering undeniable financial and personal pain. Should they have been more cognizant of the risks they were assuming?
Everyone is accustomed to seeing easy terms and low monthly payments for consumer goods and automobiles. “Buying the low payment”, even without considering the term of the contract or true cost of the deal is frequently the most important factor in the car purchase decision.
All of us would like to obtain some items which might be beyond our means and, after all, how badly can we be hurt by paying a bit too much for a car or expensive electronics system by paying an affordable amount on a monthly basis even if the total outlay makes the transaction less than a bargain? The answer is that while we can be out of pocket for an extra year or so there won’t be fatal financial consequences so long as we keep up the payments.
On the other hand, fatal financial consequences can ensue very quickly when this mindset is applied to the purchase of a $400,000+ house where the 2/28 loan agreement requires the monthly payments to nearly double after the first two years as the rate resets and the loan principal increases to accommodate the cost of the below market interest rate for the initial 24 months.
Slick sales presentations, easy credit and lax regulation are a significant part of the problem here but our first line of defense is ourselves and our financial literacy. Understanding compound interest, the mechanics of a loan agreement and the applicable mortgage tables are vital skills which all of us need to survive the financial realities of the 21st century. A failure to understand the principle financial elements of the mortgage and credit card contracts we enter can be extraordinarily expensive if subsequent events result in foreclosure, bankruptcy or even a reduced credit rating.
As the world becomes more complex and paternal corporations go the way of the dinosaur, financial literacy is becoming more and more important as illustrated by the current upset. Even those not involved have to be wary of their respective futures as the promise of social security is less certain, health care costs are soaring and pensions are moving to extinction for non-government workers.
These undeniable social trends heap more and more responsibility upon the individual to prepare, plan and execute an affordable lifestyle strategy as well as an equally important retirement plan. Financial literacy is rapidly becoming something we cannot afford to be without, yet the public schools do not address these skills.
All the writing and mathematical skills and abilities, carefully taught and absorbed over an educational career, will not allow today’s young adult to recognize the importance of early retirement planning, personal finance, credit card management and the elements of the myriad mortgage contracts available today without specific financial training.
The lack of financial literacy training in the prevailing educational systems is as serious a deficiency as can be imaginable. False financial moves early in life involving student loans, credit cards or other instruments can haunt young people for the rest of their lives through large debt loads and the expensive consequences of a poor credit score.
The public education system must take notice of this hole in their programs and address the matter or many financial lives will continue to be damaged and essentially lost!
Patrick L. Ryan, Esq.
Chairman
Hopewell Valley Community Bank
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Idea for Demonstrating Generic Distance Learning Effectiveness
The concept of distance learning for generic areas might have a very interesting possibility for demonstrating its effectiveness.
Many colleges of business (particularly those located at many regional and local colleges and universities) have students who are “convinced” they do not have the ability to do math. These colleges if accredited by AACSB International nearly all have an introductory math course that teaches linear programming among other topics, they have Statistics I and II, and they have a Production and Operations course (also called Operations Management). Some of the schools still require a first course in Calculus (aimed at business students—not the course taught by traditional math departments). Even if they do not require Calc, it is required to get an MBA or in many cases to be accepted into an MBA program.
The next point seems to be that many of the people who teach these math courses to business students come from the liberal arts tradition (they may be housed in departments in the business schools but are more akin to liberal arts teachers in math). The worst part is that they seem to know (or want to know) only one way to teach. Research has shown that there are four different patterns in learning (different research seems to create different sets of four, but four different approaches seems to be the norm). Therefore, the implication is that if a student is in a different set than the teacher, the student would naturally have great difficulty following the teacher—and they do.
Next, you have the psychological aspect of students “knowing” they can’t do this. I have seen students who have an overall B- grade point average, who really study for their math courses and do very poorly. We have students who flunk the course twice before they pass—and I believe if they flunk three times they cannot get a degree in some schools. They totally cannot get the material from the teacher and the text is not sufficient for them to teach themselves.
Therefore, if the Straube Foundation effort were to be able to create some of these courses. They could be sold either like language tapes for students to learn on their own or could be filed with authorities (and I do not know how this is done) so that they carry the weight of three college credits approved by some group which makes them transferable to a student’s transcript at their school. (Students can usually transfer a course if it is C or better into their transcript. The course transfers but not the grade and so it will not count in their g.p.a. at their current institution. But it counts toward graduation. That is true of all transfers in America.)
(By the way, once the student is a junior they cannot transfer courses from a community college—only junior or senior level courses can be transferred.) Unfortunately, business students cannot transfer anything in their last 30 credits—which equals their senior year. This might be relevant to what level the course is pegged at for credit. Traditionally the first math course is freshman level, the stat at sophomore and the production and operations at the junior year. Students can transfer a freshman course in their junior year if it was taken at a four-year school and not a community college.)
If students were to find an approach that they could be successful with, it would really cause people to look at the product. Understand that faculty in the math areas would probably oppose this. Colleagues have told me that with calculus, they aren’t supposed to help simplify the student’s learning since the student will miss the growth they can get from learning the old fashioned way. It doesn’t matter that it hasn’t worked for years (except with the outstanding students you find at the best schools in America). They also talk about the elegance of the discovery in math by students. If the students are getting through by taking “the well known easy professor” or an adjunct that will let them pass, there is not much elegance occurring. In fact left to the desires of the math faculty most schools would have to flunk out many of their students (once you get past the elite schools in America). These students can pass or do well in all their other courses just not in this area.
A further note, my colleagues in Liberal Art areas such as English talk about their students having the same problem taking Finite Math in the Math Department. So this is not just a business school problem. The difference is that the B-Schools: a: have so many courses the student has to take, and b: many that become leaders later in corporate world will remember the experience of the generic distance learning approach and become advocates of it politically when they hold executive positions.
Mark Sandberg
Assoc. Prof. of Management
and Organizational Behavior
and Dean Emeritus
College of Business Administration
Rider University
Many colleges of business (particularly those located at many regional and local colleges and universities) have students who are “convinced” they do not have the ability to do math. These colleges if accredited by AACSB International nearly all have an introductory math course that teaches linear programming among other topics, they have Statistics I and II, and they have a Production and Operations course (also called Operations Management). Some of the schools still require a first course in Calculus (aimed at business students—not the course taught by traditional math departments). Even if they do not require Calc, it is required to get an MBA or in many cases to be accepted into an MBA program.
The next point seems to be that many of the people who teach these math courses to business students come from the liberal arts tradition (they may be housed in departments in the business schools but are more akin to liberal arts teachers in math). The worst part is that they seem to know (or want to know) only one way to teach. Research has shown that there are four different patterns in learning (different research seems to create different sets of four, but four different approaches seems to be the norm). Therefore, the implication is that if a student is in a different set than the teacher, the student would naturally have great difficulty following the teacher—and they do.
Next, you have the psychological aspect of students “knowing” they can’t do this. I have seen students who have an overall B- grade point average, who really study for their math courses and do very poorly. We have students who flunk the course twice before they pass—and I believe if they flunk three times they cannot get a degree in some schools. They totally cannot get the material from the teacher and the text is not sufficient for them to teach themselves.
Therefore, if the Straube Foundation effort were to be able to create some of these courses. They could be sold either like language tapes for students to learn on their own or could be filed with authorities (and I do not know how this is done) so that they carry the weight of three college credits approved by some group which makes them transferable to a student’s transcript at their school. (Students can usually transfer a course if it is C or better into their transcript. The course transfers but not the grade and so it will not count in their g.p.a. at their current institution. But it counts toward graduation. That is true of all transfers in America.)
(By the way, once the student is a junior they cannot transfer courses from a community college—only junior or senior level courses can be transferred.) Unfortunately, business students cannot transfer anything in their last 30 credits—which equals their senior year. This might be relevant to what level the course is pegged at for credit. Traditionally the first math course is freshman level, the stat at sophomore and the production and operations at the junior year. Students can transfer a freshman course in their junior year if it was taken at a four-year school and not a community college.)
If students were to find an approach that they could be successful with, it would really cause people to look at the product. Understand that faculty in the math areas would probably oppose this. Colleagues have told me that with calculus, they aren’t supposed to help simplify the student’s learning since the student will miss the growth they can get from learning the old fashioned way. It doesn’t matter that it hasn’t worked for years (except with the outstanding students you find at the best schools in America). They also talk about the elegance of the discovery in math by students. If the students are getting through by taking “the well known easy professor” or an adjunct that will let them pass, there is not much elegance occurring. In fact left to the desires of the math faculty most schools would have to flunk out many of their students (once you get past the elite schools in America). These students can pass or do well in all their other courses just not in this area.
A further note, my colleagues in Liberal Art areas such as English talk about their students having the same problem taking Finite Math in the Math Department. So this is not just a business school problem. The difference is that the B-Schools: a: have so many courses the student has to take, and b: many that become leaders later in corporate world will remember the experience of the generic distance learning approach and become advocates of it politically when they hold executive positions.
Mark Sandberg
Assoc. Prof. of Management
and Organizational Behavior
and Dean Emeritus
College of Business Administration
Rider University
Sunday, September 16, 2007
QGE=A
"Quality Generic Education is the Answer" received many great reviews.
Read excerpts:
Reviewed by: Heather Froeschl
I have been an advocate for my children’s education and I will continue to be, despite being labeled by some teachers as “the problem parent” of the classroom. If that is what it takes to be involved, then so be it. Win Straube encourages parents and educators alike, as well as every citizen, to become more involved in our nation’s children’s education, in our own education, and subsequently, in our nation’s future. In his book “QGE=A, Quality Generic Education is the Answer” readers will be inspired to find ways in which the best education can be offered at the lowest possible cost.
Is this book relevant to every United States citizen, regardless of their being a parent, teacher or student? Absolutely. We are all parts of the main cog system and we all have the power to make positive change. So what is Quality Generic Education? It is identical quality to “brand name” education that is universally applicable, available to all, and not ideologically directed. In short, it means that an education garnered from a state university would be of equal value to one from Harvard. I can hear the gasps of disbelief at such a notion, but I am all for such a concept to become a reality. How can it? Straube knows about education, and he explains it all very nicely. Read the Full Review
-----------------------
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (11/06):
Win Straube addresses the issue of delivering a quality generic education. Quality education is one of the most important issues facing United States and the whole world. Learning should not stop when we reach a certain degree, age or point in our lives. Learning should be a lifetime goal. “Life can be, and ought to be, an ongoing learning process with more and more enriched knowledge as we progress.” Unfortunately, some people believe there is no need to continue learning.
“Win clearly sees that certain established educational systems, while quite effective within certain domains, are deficient and inappropriate responses to the larger educational crisis we are facing. Win sees that technology has advanced to the point where it might become the great equalizer by providing the opportunity to access quality education from anywhere, at any time, for any purposes.” Read the Full Review
Read excerpts:
QGE=A Quality Generic Education is the Answer to the Question: How is the best education offered at the lowest possible cost by Win Straube (University Press of America, 224 pages)
Education, according to Win Straube, is the "largest industry in the world," yet has proven time and time again to be woefully inadequate. A projected one in three students in the graduating class of 2006 will fail to graduate with their class this year. Even with this alarming statistic we still are finding that many young people who do graduate are "virtually illiterate." The prospects for the future of our young people, and conversely for our country, are bleak indeed.
In the 21st century the face and pace of education are ever evolving. Many have dubbed the current educational era the "Knowledge-Age." A flurry of discussion and debate on the topic has emanated from those who prefer the home based school to those ensconced in the elite ivied halls of academia. There is one man, however, who appears to have been for some time on the cutting edge of these deliberations. This man, Win Straube, author, entrepreneur and educator in his own right, shares with us his philosophical and practical considerations on education in his new book, QGE=A Quality Generic Education is the Answer to the Question: How is the best education offered at the lowest possible cost. In his easy conversational style Straube tells us how it is, how it was and ponders his hopes and vision for the education of future generations . . . the dream of an equal, affordable, quality and globally accessible education for all.
In QGE the author, an educational "user" himself, explores and explains:
- Distance education and the "Electronic Learning Revolution"
- How every qualified individual can have his or her chance for a quality generic education at little or no cost
- How any student can receive an education at any time or in any place
- How accreditation and global standards can be achieved to insure a level playing field for all
- How you too can also join in the new educational evolution and revolution in your own personal quest for enlightenment in Knowledge-Age of today
I enjoyed this book without becoming enmeshed and bogged down by polysyllabic words I sometimes run up against in many educational tomes and easily understood the message the author wished to convey to his readership. The message of a quality generic education is not intrinsically a light topic, but with the author's town meeting approach one can easily ponder and grasp the enormity and complex issues he wishes to convey as easily as one can pick up the phone and dial up for pizza. Instead of picking up the phone, you might want to pick up this book today and invest in your future. --Editors Review
Reviewed by: Heather Froeschl
I have been an advocate for my children’s education and I will continue to be, despite being labeled by some teachers as “the problem parent” of the classroom. If that is what it takes to be involved, then so be it. Win Straube encourages parents and educators alike, as well as every citizen, to become more involved in our nation’s children’s education, in our own education, and subsequently, in our nation’s future. In his book “QGE=A, Quality Generic Education is the Answer” readers will be inspired to find ways in which the best education can be offered at the lowest possible cost.
Is this book relevant to every United States citizen, regardless of their being a parent, teacher or student? Absolutely. We are all parts of the main cog system and we all have the power to make positive change. So what is Quality Generic Education? It is identical quality to “brand name” education that is universally applicable, available to all, and not ideologically directed. In short, it means that an education garnered from a state university would be of equal value to one from Harvard. I can hear the gasps of disbelief at such a notion, but I am all for such a concept to become a reality. How can it? Straube knows about education, and he explains it all very nicely. Read the Full Review
-----------------------
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (11/06):
Win Straube addresses the issue of delivering a quality generic education. Quality education is one of the most important issues facing United States and the whole world. Learning should not stop when we reach a certain degree, age or point in our lives. Learning should be a lifetime goal. “Life can be, and ought to be, an ongoing learning process with more and more enriched knowledge as we progress.” Unfortunately, some people believe there is no need to continue learning.
“Win clearly sees that certain established educational systems, while quite effective within certain domains, are deficient and inappropriate responses to the larger educational crisis we are facing. Win sees that technology has advanced to the point where it might become the great equalizer by providing the opportunity to access quality education from anywhere, at any time, for any purposes.” Read the Full Review
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