As a part of the workforce and financial sector, we here at Plastic Products see it as our obligation to try and understand our market and environment, even if it’s conversationally, through our blog. We’ve brought up a lot of business and marketing related topics, and offered recommendations on how to get the most out of your marketing efforts and budget, but this week we’re taking a little detour which we hope will help in our understanding of why our business realm works the way it does, and what philosophies and beliefs help drive a capitalist economy.

While the answers aren’t sitting right in front of us in a sign holder, and ready to be divulged, this week’s topic is a great starting point from which to address the impact of the American educational system on the business world and economy. In continuing our series on Education & the Changing Workforce, we pick up today with the question we posed on Monday: Who are the educators who chose not to adopt the educational philosophy behind America’s public school system, and how did they innovate the system to accommodate for new modes of thinking?

Read on for an overview of educational philosophies that reach outside the American mainstream, and are being expressed in the creation of charter and magnet schools, and a little thing called the “voucher system.”

Charter Schools

If an organization, be it a business or group of educators, believe they can make a new or established public school perform better under the same budget, they can write a proposal outlining their plans and submit it to the school’s board for approval to take control. There are many charter schools across the nation, and while most remain public, many have a private feel. In most cases, charter schools have lower student-to-teacher ratios and a cohesive educational philosophy that helps connect the dots between the various teaching methods that may be used.

For example, a charter school may eliminate the use of letter grades and conduct performance evaluations in person instead, with the student and his or her guardian present. Known for their innovative approach to learning, charter schools tend to produce more creative and freethinking students. Likewise, the charter school focus on thinking outside the box to achieve a goal has, in many cases, helped them turn around the educational success of economically deprived areas. In the end, while charter schools often have a private feel, they must have their students fulfill state and federal “standards” of academic achievement to continue their work.

Magnet Schools

Magnet schools are similar to charters in that they center their efforts upon a unique educational philosophy, but they are publically owned and operated. These schools are commonly named something “of the” something, e.g. “Cullen Ryan School of the Arts,” or the Sciences, or History. The goal of magnet schools is to educate students according to their strengths and abilities. For example, if you know your child is especially interested in the sciences, sending him or her to a science magnet might be a good choice. Since magnet schools are publically owned and operated, students are still required to fulfill the state and national standards of academic achievement that regular public school students fulfill. In turn, the curriculum of magnet schools, while rich in certain areas rarely addressed in public schools, is still holistic.

Voucher System

While the recently launched “voucher system” is not an educational philosophy or type of institution, it is still a very influential part of the American educational system. Vouchers are essentially checks that can only be cashed at schools. Every student has a price (the amount of money it costs to instruct that student per year), and that price depends on your school district. So, instead of the state paying the school if your student is to attend it, they pay you so that you can decide where you want your money to be allocated. A common occurrence amongst recipients of educational vouchers is the “cashing” of their check at a private school, paying a fraction of the much higher tuition, leaving the remaining funds to be paid out of pocket. The goal of the voucher system goal is to give parents more of a choice – to play more of a roll – in their student’s education.

On Friday, we’ll investigate the Montessori method, and maybe even address the future of our collective presence in the global economy, as older workers exist, and new workers educated in new and innovative ways take over.

Stay tuned!