Our education system must refocus on its core mission: teaching our children the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Parents must have the final say in how their children are taught and addressed—because they know their children best. Schools should be partners in education, not replacements for parental authority. When there are legitimate concerns about abuse or neglect, those issues should be handled by the appropriate social services professionals—not shifted into the classroom. Clear roles, clear responsibilities, and respect for families must be restored.
At the same time, we need to fundamentally rethink how we educate our students day-to-day. The steady reduction in recess and unstructured time has had a measurable and harmful impact on children’s mental and physical health. Kids are being asked to sit longer, memorize more, and move less—and it’s not working. I have seen this firsthand as an elected member of a school council in Brookline, where I pushed for increased recess and more balanced schedules. Students learn better when they are engaged, active, and given time to reset—not when they are pushed to the limit of endurance.
We should be looking to proven models that prioritize both academic excellence and student well-being. Countries like Finland consistently rank among the best in education—not by increasing pressure, but by emphasizing balance, shorter instructional blocks, more breaks, and less focus on standardized testing. We need to move away from a system that teaches to the test and toward one that fosters understanding, curiosity, and long-term success. That means restoring time for students to think, move, and grow—and ensuring our schools are preparing them for life, not just for exams.