The elements of a good education can be found not only in the subject matter, but in the learning styles which are employed, the scheduling of the classroom, extracurricular activities, and parental involvement.
Subject matter includes not only facts, such as mathematical theorems, science essentials, and grammar and punctuation, but the value received for such. In past decades, students were drilled in the basics and developed a quest for further knowledge; this was frequently gleaned from their own experiences and searching. Today's educational goals often appear to focus on bits and bytes of trivia, as opposed to a solid grounding in facts.
Teaching methods, too, have evolved; this is not necessarily a good thing. Education itself has become more an area in which to develop equality than an actual learning environment. Students do have slightly different learning methods, but with practice nearly all can be enabled to learn in one traditional environment.
Historically, there have been smart kids and dumb kids; some issues presented in the past have been researched and strides have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of these issues, such as dyslexia, but today's students are usually just classified as "bright" or "challenged". All the political correctness in the world cannot, however judiciously employed, change the fact that all students do not have equal intelligence.
Too much time is spent evaluating and deciphering individual learning styles and problems and not enough time is spent in saying: this is the way it is, learn the material, you alone are responsible and must be accountable.
Classroom scheduling is another factor in the basis of a good education. Students used to arrive at schools around 8:00 am, attend their respective classes in one classroom at elementary age and in several during high school. Today, due to budget constraints, transportation problems and costs, and pop-psychology, things have changed for the worse.
In some districts, high school students don't begin classes until 9:00 am or later; child-raising experts have told the world that teenagers need more sleep. I suppose this is a new thing? No, but today's teenagers are inundated with too many activities and choices and have a tendency to stay up till all hours. Again, why? Because today's parents seem to think that once Johnny has reached the age of, say, thirteen or so, he should be able to regulate and raise himself - their job is done. They may be afraid the child will be "embarrassed" at having a bedtime or be angry if he's told "no", he cannot participate in everything; parents want to be "friends" with their child.
Elementary students are pushed earlier and earlier in their educational careers to "learn" about being an older student: they change classrooms and schools nearly as often as they probably remember to take out the trash. There are primary schools, elementary schools, intermediate schools, middle schools, junior highs, high schools and, an even newer trend: ninth grade centers. No wonder kids are in a constant state of flux and confusion.
Decades ago, children attended kindergarten as an option for those who were "late bloomers" or who needed extra help preparing for elementary school. Today, children attend preschool, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and then finally elementary school. Beginning almost immediately they are offered numerous lunch choices, extracurricular activities, and allowed to pretty much do their own thing regarding conformity in the classroom. Projects are offered too frequently, sometimes weekly, to appease those whose children may not perform at the top of the charts in a traditional setting, and group work and group desks are the norm. The education industry is attempting to make all students equal and to over-schedule them to compensate for that glaring omission - education itself.
Extracurricular activities are an important component of a well-rounded education, but too many options or too much intensity can negate the benefits. Part of education is exploring interests, and many opportunities can be offered to students; but unless there is an adult mentor, be it parent or instructor or sponsor, to assist in the choosing, many students are incapable of narrowing their particular field of interest. This may result in no choice being made, and a lost opportunity, or too many choices being made and little progression or knowledge gained due to lack of focus.
Another example of pushing students and not allowing them to just be kids can be found in these extracurricular activities; sports in particular. In the past, kids' participation in sports consisted of pick-up games in the neighborhood until probably at least age eleven or twelve; at this point, but often not until high school, students were able to sign up for school sports teams. Teams practiced a few days a week and played a game on a weekend. Today's kids frequently practice five days a week, usually before the school year starts or after it ends, for some sports; games and tournaments often take much-needed break- and family-time over entire weekends.
This is not part of a "good" education: this is over-competitiveness in a world that consists of pushing a child to fulfill his parents' ideals. If a student is in class until 3:00 pm, then attends a team practice until 5:00 pm, then has a club meeting or function until 6:00 pm; if that student arrives home at 6:30 pm, eats dinner, and has time to study - where then is his social life, or family activity, or time to just sit and daydream? It can be found too often in the 10:00 pm to midnight (or later) time slot. Which leaves little opportunity for rest as the new day often begins with the sunrise so he can repeat his performances.
Parental involvement is the bane of the education system. This not always so. Parents used to teach their children respect, and proper decorum, and spend time casually reinforcing the day's lessons over the dinner table or in a family discussion of news, current events, and history. Students were expected to be responsible, and accountable, and to be able to speak and write properly.
Not today. Today's students are taught to take what they want, when they want it. They are encouraged to argue, be first, and use slang and be demanding. They are entitled, they know it, and parents are too busy or too self-centered to change this. Many parents consider the extent of their involvement to be griping and complaining when little Johnny brings home bad grades; they consider this the fault of the teacher or the administrators or the school system itself. They make excuses.
On the flip side, many parents also "help" kids with homework up to and sometimes through high school; they want to be involved and available but, sadly, the kids are learning nothing except that someone else will do their work for them. A good education teaches kids to think for themselves, but parental enabling can forestall this early on.
A good education incorporates manners, respect, intrinsic rewards, common-sense scheduling of both students and the classroom, a well-rounded program of extracurriculars, and an excellent grounding in the basic elements of education: reading, writing, science, and math. An educated person is one who can speak properly, write well, handle his finances, and be curious about the world around him; an educated person will seek knowledge for its own sake and make no excuses for his behavior or his personal issues.