Almost seems like a riddle
Hmmm!
The U.S. public K–12 system, with its remarkable teachers, is arguably the best in the world—
and yet, 50% of its graduating students lack basic proficiency in reading, writing, and math.
Not just voted the best—the U.S. K–12 system may be the envy of the world.
In an annual poll, the U.S. K-12 education system is voted the best in the world—a unanimous vote by the 30 other industrialized nations.
This sentiment is echoed by parents and grandparents worldwide, many of whom—passports in hand—hope to have their children educated in the United States.
Clearly, people around the globe view U.S. education, including its foundational public K-12 system, as a windfall opportunity.
Every young person in the U.S. should have this opportunity. Embrace it or shun it, it's a "windfall."
And yet, 50% of all graduating U.S. public K–12 students fail to reach minimum NAEP proficiency in reading, writing, math, or any other subject tested.
Within that 50% lies a trove of untapped student talent and potential—all of it valuable, and much of it no less promising than what’s found in the top half. (Consider the implications of significantly expanding the nation’s educated, trainable workforce—driving up the national capitalization rate (cap rate), all without placing new K–12 pedagogical demands on teachers, or new layers of meetings, training, and paperwork.)
A societal good
This website may seek to raise a limited amount of funds—projected at $700,000—which is entirely separate from the significantly larger operational and cloud service costs that would be covered by a national sponsor. The $700,000 is intended solely to fund the hiring of a presentation team: a group of experts tasked with securing a major corporate or federal sponsor to support and test the implementation of the HSe4Metrics K–12 innovation.
If $5 fundraising begins, please consider contributing to help us hire the presentation team. Then sit back as the team works to identify and secure a major, societally minded sponsor!
As a public good, the HSe4Metrics innovation platform will remain free to access. It will never generate revenue from families, students, or community members. Instead, a national sponsor will underwrite the platform’s ongoing costs.
In sum, public K–12 education in the U.S. is a world-class windfall—and it’s free!
…but flip a coin:
Today, the odds that a K–12 student will reach even minimum NAEP proficiency in reading, writing, and math are just 50–50.
Heads.
- Nealy half of all high school graduates can read, write, and do math at some level of NAEP proficiency.
- Every K-12-aged young person deserves the same.
- It’s fundamental.
Tails.
Roughly half of all U.S. K–12 students cannot read, write, or do math at even the most basic level of NAEP proficiency.
Untold quality-of-life hardships and socioeconomic disadvantage awaits them and their future families.
