Griff Allen

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Creativity scores had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since
then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward.

I remember few things from my K-5
th
education. The things I do remember are
the fun art projects, playing at recess, and wanting to fit in. The things I cant
remember are the subjects we covered or the tests I took.
It is interesting to think that the education system may have reached a
point where it no longer has the goal of preparing young people for life, but
rather has the goal of preparing young people to get through the education
system. This issue may have already entered a spiral of death. Educating young
people means educating the next generation of teachers, hence the next
generation of teachers may have already had the creativity drilled out of them.
The solutions to these issues need to start at the top. The schools
unfortunately cannot be left to their own devices to deal with the loss of
creativity. If it were possible for them to deal with it, we would see more cases
like the National Inventors Hall of Fame School in Ohio. As it stands there are
few opportunities for students to succeed creatively in most schools. Though art
and music are the most commonly accepted outlets for creativity in school,
other skills such as the example with students coming up with solutions for the
library. These projects and programs need to become requirements in order to
prompt change in the education system.
The death of creativity in the education system could cause major
economic issues if left unchecked. This issue affects us all.