A Superpower without Science
In the 1890s, inspired by grassroots efforts in the Midwest and Northeast, the United States began to systematically invest in and democratize education. This investment paid off. By 1970, high school graduation rates skyrocketed from 7% to 70%. We built the most educated, productive society on earth. In the history of planet Earth, no other civilization rose to such superpower dominance so quickly.
But three generations on, in 2024, America’s K-12 system is entrenched in mediocrity. Reform after reform has failed. Truancy is at an all-time high. Teacher satisfaction is at an all-time low. Billions invested in unvetted edtech solutions have yielded nothing. High school graduation rates, racial achievement gaps, subject-matter proficiency, and international rankings are all stagnant.
K-12 science in America is particularly concerning. 55% of American 8th graders are not proficient, and 33% are below basic. Among Black students, 58% are below basic, and for Hispanic students, it's 47%. The score gaps between high (above the 75th percentile) and low (below the 25th percentile) performers are widening.
The reasons are clear. 42% of our 8th graders rarely or never take part in scientific inquiry-related activities, and more than 50% have no access to lab materials. Larger percentages of lower-performing students than higher-performing students reported that they never or hardly ever participated in the science and engineering practices prescribed by the Next Generation Science Standards, adopted by most states. Over 40% of grade K-3 students and over 30% of grade 4-6 students can go full weeks with zero science instruction. Only 32% of teachers report having basic equipment like batteries and thermometers.
Schools spend less than $1 per year per student on consumable supplies and only $0.26 on science equipment. Most science classes are exclusively textbook or software-based. Only 11% of elementary school teachers have a degree in science or engineering. Roughly 80% of elementary teachers feel very well prepared to teach reading/language arts and mathematics, but only 39% feel very well prepared to teach science.
Clearly, something is not working.
The 19th-century model of education may have been perfect for building an industrial society powered by assembly lines and middle management workers, all carrying out narrowly defined tasks. It is precisely because this was an implicit objective that the endeavor was misguided from the start. It was never aligned with the nature of children—how they grow and learn. It was obsolete and ineffective from the very beginning.
If we continue to follow the 19th-century model of education, where blindly following directions and the ideas of others is the objective, then we strip our citizens of their ability to rationally assess information and make reasoned decisions. We leave open the possibility that those with the loudest megaphone win not the ideas with the most beneficial impact. We weaken our democracy and thereby place our society at risk.
Shoring Up Democracy with Science
A vibrant democracy depends on an educated populace. The resilience and effectiveness of our political structures and institutions ultimately rely on people! Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “Education is the safeguard of democracy”.
We purport that scientific thinking and the durable skills necessary for doing good science lay at the heart of a quality education.
Critical Thinking: Democracy requires critical assessment of information and reasoned judgments. This is the essence of science! Students question ideas, make hypotheses, evaluate evidence, and discern fact from fiction.
Science Literacy: We face complex and nuanced matters like climate change, healthcare, and AI. We can blindly trust politicians OR we can gain some semblance of understanding in order to help properly guide our leaders.
Collaboration: Democracy thrives when citizens are actively engaged in civic life. The science lab where kids are solving problems, setting up lab experiments, communicating ideas, and debating theories is a magnificent playground for addressing civic matters.
Reverence: When you crack open the hydrogen atom, uncover the seismic (literally!) mechanism behind continental drift and plate tectonics, map the heavenly movement of stars, and discover the earth is one living, breathing organism (btw - all things kids do with QuantumCourses!), you can’t help but see the beauty of creation. In turn, and we see this over and over again, a consciousness dawns in young people that we have a collective responsibility to care for it all - our land and each other.
Can’t Change the System? Build a Different One.
So let’s do this. Let’s transform how we do education. Let’s break this 50-year logjam in the public system. Let’s provide great, lab-based science to kids.
The problem is that we can’t. The traditional public school system can’t transform. It is too big. There are too many competing forces. There are too many entrenched interests. The system is resistant to change.
However, there may be a pathway forward! The burgeoning homeschool and microschool movement just might be the answer. Sparked by the pandemic, when the veil was lifted off public schools, and millions of parents saw the mindless busywork teachers make kids do, parents looked for better options that are not elite, exclusive private schools. These families are finding that a return to the one-room schoolhouse, which allows for a deeper connection to place and community and a new flexibility to meet the unique needs of each student may be a better setting for their children.
In turn, these microschools are seeing that science can be done differently. They are not bound by state mandates. They are not burdened with overworked teachers delivering a one-size-fits all academic program to 30 unique kids packed in one classroom. They have a refreshing opportunity to run science as they wish.
These committed entrepreneurial educators, for sure, understand the importance of science. They know science education is not merely a pursuit confined to laboratories and classrooms; it is a cornerstone of democracy and a catalyst for social progress. They believe in America and our diverse and dynamic young people.
QuantumCamp: A Beacon of Hope
The current education system is burdened with inertia, but there is hope. With QuantumCamp’s curriculum, nimble microschools are able to offer authentic, hands-on science.
In turn, we hope and believe the public sector will see the light. (Actually many states are quickly moving to adopt personalized, flexible, publicly funded community and microschool models!)
For microschools and for rising community public schools, QuantumCamp is ready to support learner-centered, self-directed learning. This is one major key for ensuring the oldest living democracy on the planet continues as the greatest beacon and example for all.
By equipping students with the soft skills and academic knowledge necessary for steering the complex American Experiment forward, we hope QuantumCamp can safeguard democratic values and ensure a brighter future for all.
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