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I have thought for some time now that it would be very possible to create a system of software that would run on either PCs or game consoles that would load one of the following modules:

Student
Parent
Instructor
Management

The Student module would then load an education module that would then teach a particular subject. For example 1st grade spelling, 5th grade science, US History, Algebra 1, etc. These instruction modules would be available for download from a web page similar to Ebay or Amazon. Students/Parents would be able to review, comment on and purchase the modules that work best for their children. You could even have religious studies or ethics classis as well. Individuals who make greate education videos / modules would then be compensated accordingly.

The Parent Modules would focus on providing help to the parent. Homework drills, study guides, other assistance as needed. Likewise, the free market approach could be used to allow parents the option of purchasing the modules their students needed

The Instructor Module would be targeted to the job currently held by teachers in the classroom. It would allow them to have an electronic grade book, attendance, etc

The Management Module would be targeted to the job performed by the school district for things like maintaining records, hiring, etc

Lastly, to determine where each student was and what education was needed, a test would be taken annual for each student at the start of the school year. The tests would identify the current level for each class and provide guidance for the next level of education to be taken. The tests could be administered by the local school / district or by private firm like Prometric or Silvan.

Individuals transfering from different school districts would not need to worry about their records as they could just take the placemnt tests and start with the appropriate class.

Feds would set the requirements for federal recognition and acceptance of Associate, Bacholers, Masters and PHD degrees for hiring into the Federal government. Colleges are then free to set their entrance requirements. States set the standard for their awarding of the HS Diploma and or equivilant

As a total control freak, you are on the wrong site.

Feds would set the requirements for federal recognition and acceptance of Associate, Bacholers, Masters and PHD degrees for hiring into the Federal government.

Uh, no. That is the worst idea I have seen on this site in ten years. What is so wrong with competing sets of credentials? Do your Federal bureaucrats guarantee competency?

I thought not.

I'll repeat a prior post here for benefit of discussion:

Envision a small shop in a strip mall: "We Test." We Test tests, and how. We Test tests are no joke, indeed; they're hard. REALLY hard. We Test guarantees that any person who can pass their tests can perform as specified with an insured guarantee. If the person you hire fails to perform to those specifications within the term of the guarantee, We Test pays the cost of hiring and training a replacement.

Any human then could use any means imaginable to acquire the necessary knowledge to pass We Test tests. Any school would do, no accreditation required. The Internet is loaded with coursework and curricula, libraries and lab-simulators. Any human with the drive and intelligence to learn on their own could then qualify for a job. No saving for decades, no brainwashing, completely transferable work, at any pace one can withstand. Any employer could then simply select from a menu of We Test specifications instead of a diploma, at any level. We Test tests.

One would think that this should have happened a long time ago, but in fact there is one thing standing in the way that makes the realization of this seeming inevitability a matter of now or never.

State licensing requires degreed credentials obtainable only at said profligate, bureaucratic and unaccountable institutions charging outrageous fees and demanding excessive time as only a State monopoly could command. Why not just amend the legislation specifying education for state licensure by adding the simple words, "or equivalent"?

As an example of how little it would take, consider my wife. She just passed her board certification exam as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. She walked into H&R Block, sat at a computer, took a three-hour exam harder than anything she'd endured in her Masters' Program at Cal State San Francisco, and within five minutes after completion had her passing grade. If the private system can handle a test that specialized, why can't it test arithmetic, algebra, US history, or college chemistry? Instead of bricks and mortar, it would be e-books in quarters. Why not?