Bad Human Capital

Human capital.  That’s how students, teachers and  regular citizens are often being referred to lately by the likes of the National Governor’s Association and Bill Gates.  Apparently, we’re not individuals to be valued as such, we’re cattle – only valuable for what we can provide others.

Levi Cavener, in his latest post on his blog Idaho’s Promise does a great job addressing what he thinks of the term “human capital” and why it is so inappropriate in our education system.

…teachers and parents; we are not instructing creative individuals to become well rounded global citizens.  On the contrary, we are building “human capital” and thus the job of a teacher, and consequently the instruction, must be collectivized to the extent that every widget, ahem, student can contribute to whatever the central planning authority (or the National Governors Association – NGA) dictates is appropriate.

Go read the rest of his post, “Proudly Ineffective Human Capital.”  I think he nails it.