Education and good teachers are crucial to our economy.
Measuring teaching quality leads to fascinating conclusions. For example, it has become apparent that the standard of teaching varies more within schools than among them.
Therefore, as most of us have noticed, a typical school has teachers that differ from excellent to bad. Parents have learned unfortunately that certain teachers are not as good as others.
Also, poor teachers are not necessarily within a particular school, although some schools have a reputation for harbouring an unsatisfactory teaching staff.
Better students generally are given to more expert teachers, leading often the good ones into more innovative courses.
Education officials note which schools have more pupils in advanced courses and are inclined to ensure that such institutions are well funded. That helps to track the better schools but conversely further downgrades the weaker ones.
Teacher quality has an uncanny way of determining the probability of students attending the superior post-secondary schools and then earning higher salaries.
That university experience enables employers to fit individuals into the most suitable careers and also to have employees who can be transferred or trained as the firm would like. In our knowledge-based economy that will be of great assistance to enable the company to move ahead.
Universities should not necessarily offer skills training to the people they hire, but rather turn out generalists who will not be locked into a career or department. Instead, these generalists can be extraordinarily useful in boosting the company, perhaps as it diversifies or amalgamates with another organization.
Most youngsters when entering a post-secondary institution do not have a firm idea about their future career.
Furthermore, in our rapidly changing economy, one route may not be successful in the long run. Having a more general university program would lead to the next generation of flourishing entrepreneurs.
Governments need to invest accordingly and recognize the correct role for universities and vocational schools.
That is confirmed again when we note the origins of the current crop of business leaders. They built on a broad educational background, as job training, as such, was left to others.