Short, intense directed apprenticeships that teach students how to learn on their own to mastery are the future of higher education.

Here's a six-month program that could replace four years of hyper-costly, ineffective university. 

1. Teach the students how to learn on their own, for the rest of their lives. This could take as little as a few hours or days. Once a student learns how to pursue deep learning and deep practice on their own, they don't need years of classrooms--they just need the guidance of someone experienced in the field, i.e. a structured apprenticeship. 

2. One semester in a wide variety of on-the-job experiences. Once students are given real experience in a variety of fields and industries, it's likely some spark of ignition will occur and they'll find the motivation to pursue real mastery instead of a worthless credential. 

3. Directed apprenticeships plus online lectures/workshops by the best lecturers viewed before or after the students' real work. The key to learning deeply and learning fast is to push right up against the current level of competence, where failure occurs and can be addressed one piece at a time. 

Interestingly, Coyle notes that the most successful incubators of talent around the world are generally in makeshift or decrepit buildings, not fancy new gleaming buildings of the sort that dot American college campuses. Surrounded by luxury, who feels any hunger to learn anything voraciously?

DYI Comments:  Stock market mania, bond market mania, real estate mania, Americans have had booms and busts creating rises and falls of these three assets.  Mania's are not the sole purview of investing American society has a College/University mania.  The mantra is, if you don't go to college you will end up with a lousy paying job.  It is actually worse, the overall theme or mantra spewed from the college/university propaganda student loan sucking machine is "without a college degree YOU are a failure!"  That guarantee for a college grad making more money than a high school grad(for an apprenticeship grad that stat is dubious) has long past its time. Humorous antidotes such as "How do you get a English Lit. graduate off your porch? Pay him for the pizza!" Today many college grads are simply doing jobs that only require a high school degree.  On top of that many are carrying 30, 40, 50 thousand dollars in debt.

There is simply too many people going to college!

I know with today's university mania I'm sounding as a heretic.  Excess supply of anything and that includes higher education pay scales will decline along with a quality decline in education.  The U.S. with its student loan program has turned our schools into a factory model.  Get as many students as possible(along with their student loans) whether they are qualified or suitable and pump them through the system.  Whether they graduate or not keep them as long as possible until they hear the last gasp of their students money.  This has been true for several decades for profit universities.  The last fifteen or so years it has become true for many public schools as well.

There has to be a better way

To correct the system we have to start at the beginning with elementary school.  My demarcation is a bit different.  Grades 1 thru 8 would be elementary school.  High school grades 9 thru 12.

Elementary school is for the basics - reading, writing, and arithmetic.  These are the basics; the building blocks not only for higher education, they are required for a functioning society. This is why inner city youth and adults are so easily swayed by charlatans, swindlers, and outright propaganda(a blog post for another day).  To be sure there are many other problems in our inner cities but a quality basic education is without a doubt in the top five if not top three of major problems(how bout ending the drug war!).
   
Grades 9 and 10 are for higher learning as exampled by moving past basic arithmetic with entry level algebra, geometry, moving on to geography, government, and American history.  Grades 11 and 12 is where the split begins those who have the aptitude, grades and desire will move on to college prep work such as advance algebra, calculus and geometry, chemistry, biology, foreign language, arts. Those who are not college bound will move into a two year entry level apprenticeship program.  As exampled a structured program for Licensed Practical Nurses(LPN).  At the end of the program the student will be able to pass the examination and be gainfully employed as well.  All at the age of 18 or 19!

What is standing in our way of change?

I take the high road regarding the Federal Department of Education.  I believe in the beginning it was started with the best of intentions, however as with all things in government especially at the federal level they have fallen pray to the old standard expressed so simply "I'm here from the government and I'm here to help you."  Accountability has been replaced with bureaucratic ineptitude, pet social programs, and plain old fashioned incompetence.  A mentality that the Fed's knows best and do it our way or we we cut you off the money.  Some day I hope a governor of one our fifty states will stand their ground and say "We will educate our children our way with or without your money!"  In a nutshell this agency needs to be closed and end one level of tyranny infecting our schools.

How far have we gone astray?

1912 Eighth Grade Examination for Bullitt County School 

DYI