The Means & End of Education

In this show, we discuss two issues: 1) how one best motivates an individual to go to college and 2) whether the goal of college should be the focal concern of K-12 educators. The inspiration for this discussion comes from the work of Geoffrey Canada, a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Originally from the South Bronx, Canada made it his goal to return to Harlem to educate and motivate children to go to college. He started the Harlem Children's Zone, a charter school, and numerous after school programs. In Canada's view, all of the children in his programs should and will go to college, and he is committed to doing everything in his power to achieve this. The issue here, however, is that because his goal centers on getting children into college, he is willing to employ external rewards to motivate his students rather than focusing on the cultivation of intrinsic motivation. The question is then: Is this beneficial for them in the long run? Moreover, is his goal of getting EVERY child into college the best idea? Is college "right" for everyone? Is the near universal belief that “getting into college” is the measure of K-12 efficacy correct? We discuss.