Antiquated American education system in need of real change

    Recently I wrote a piece griping about the stunning lack of academic programs at USU Eastern and the wasted opportunities that USU is having in not bringing Paleontological or Geological programs to Price, among others.
    The response I got both on social media and in email was encouraging and one question asked of me I found particularly interesting. The question asked that if I were totally in charge of education, specifically secondary education, what changes would I make. So since this reader has given me absolute dictatorial authority over this fictional universe, I will oblige.
    My changes, I feel are not all that radical, but I feel if taken seriously should make a lot of sense, so abandon all hope and enter my theoretical authoritarian regime.
    The first things I would change is the three-month summer vacation separating each “grade” or academic year. This is way too much time almost entirely wasted by everyone.
    I’m not opposed to summer breaks, but three months is slightly absurd; the year-round school program is so much more effective and it keeps its students intellectually engaged with only periodic breaks of a few weeks.
    My most radical change is my next one. I would use this extra time in class to add one additional grade level to the system.
    This “13th” grade would not be like all the other years the students attend which almost elusively focused on the academic theory of their subjects.
    The “13th” year would be a trade year; a year where everything these young adults have spent their whole lives learning about would be put to the test.
    Instead of English and History, the students will be taking drafting, welding and automotive mechanics. Instead of Calculous the students will be taking classes on the American Tax system.         Additionally, I would allow for a caveat that would allow students to forgo some of these trade classes in favor of them taking university courses of their choosing. This way if they are interestied in History or English, they can engage in courses that are very demanding and applicable.
    It’s not that I don’t feel students are graduating high school without applicable knowledge. I feel students are graduating high school without a proper respect for trades and the people who engage in them.
    We have this absurd hierarchal system that places trades like medicine and law above those of labor and service in terms of honor and respect and our children need a fresh outlook, honor and respect for every trade.     
    Also, heaven forbid our children graduate the required education system with the knowledge of how to change their oil and pay their taxes.
    Finally, the last change I would make is the how and who we hire to teach these young adults. I am all for having strict and competitive requirements for those we choose to teach but there needs to be equitable compensation to make this market competitive.
    I would make drastic cuts to the military war-machine budget we have in this country, which is 20x higher than most of all other western countries combined.     
    I would use that enormous surplus of money to directly fund our education system. I would build state-of-the-art schools and classrooms. I would drastically increase teacher salaries and I would overfund the art programs in each school.     
    By offering absurdly high salaries for educators, the market will swell with those clamoring to take the jobs and teacher shortages we have been having will be a laughable part of our past.
    By having state-of-the-art facilities students will have places to learn that are appealing and fun and teachers will no longer be spending their own money buying supplies.
    By overfunding the arts, more students will have ample creative outlets to expand their minds and provide entertainment and art for our communities.
    These are only the ramblings of an idealist, but I feel my ideas have some merit.
    Not only are they fun to think about, they are very, very possible. The money is there, it just needs to be re appropriated and spent correctly.
    Our teachers deserve more, our students deserve more, we all deserve more than what our government is giving use.
    Knowledge is the preface of peace.