Though a teacher himself, economist Bryan Caplan says American education must be radically downsized. As a kid, Brian Robertson spent hours programming his own video games. By age 13, he was skipping school to code; by 16, he had dropped out. He tried his hand at an engineering college but was frustrated by the lack of experiential learning and dropped out again. But today, Robertson isn’t stuck in a low-paying, dead-end job, pigeonholed by his lack of formal education. He’s the founder and CEO of management consultancy firm Holacracy and has no regrets. “I learned more in a few months of work experience than I typically see people get out of four years of college,” Robertson says. Professor Bryan Caplan believes this is how the American education system could — and should — work for millions of other students. According to the George Mason University professor, U.S. schools are deeply dysfunctional. They don’t teach useful job skills, and students do not retain most of what they learn in classes. On those points you will find much agreement in the academic world. But here’s the kicker: Caplan says if we introduce kids to job training by age 12, they could be ready to enter the job market as young as 15. Not only would this save taxpayers money and boost the economy, it would allow kids to pursue the path they find most fascinating, sparing them hours of boring, pointless lessons. | 