--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The factory model of education is the…" description: "\"The factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century. Today, our schools must prepare all students for college and careers-and do far..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg" --- # The factory model of education is the wrong model for the… ![“The factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century. Today, our schools must prepare all students for college and careers-and do far more to personalize instruction and employ the smart use of technology.” quote by Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg) > “The factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century. Today, our schools must prepare all students for college and careers-and do far more to personalize instruction and employ the smart use of technology.” [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Traditional factory‑style schooling fails modern needs; education must be personalized, college‑ and career‑ready, leveraging technology. **In simple terms:** Schools need personalized, tech‑enhanced learning for today’s world. Key Takeaway Adopt flexible, tech‑driven teaching. Themes education technology personalization future careers Mood optimistic urgent Type policy motivational When to use this quote - classroom design - curriculum planning - teacher training - policy making Key Concepts learning models digital equity skill development Questions to Reflect On - What tech tools best support individualized learning? - How can schools ensure equity in tech access? A Different Perspective Technology gaps and resource limits can hinder implementation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Use of technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-of-technology/) ## Related quotes > [Today's Schools are not Tomorrows Schools. That's a fundamental misconception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/today-s-schools-are-not-tomorrows-schools-that-s-a-fundamental/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [“The present model of education reflects the age in which it was designed: the industrial revolution. Students are educated in an assembly line to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sams/the-present-model-of-education-reflects-the-age-in-which-it-was/) Aaron Sams > [Why are so many companies stuck in this factory model of working?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mullenweg/why-are-so-many-companies-stuck-in-this-factory-model-of-working/) [Matt Mullenweg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mullenweg/) > [“With large industries throwing out the factory model as counterproductive, it is long past time for schools to do the same. I wonder how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ohanian/with-large-industries-throwing-out-the-factory-model-as/) Susan Ohanian > [We have to go from what is essentially an industrial model of education, a manufacturing model, which is based on linearity and conformity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/we-have-to-go-from-what-is-essentially-an-industrial-model-of/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Americans want students to get the best education possible. We want schools to prepare children to become good citizens and members of a prosperous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/americans-want-students-to-get-the-best-education-possible-we-want/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [College works on the factory model and is, in many ways, not suited to training entrepreneurs. You put in a student, and out comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/college-works-on-the-factory-model-and-is-in-many-ways-not-suited-to/) [Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/) > [The factory model of education is a gargantuan bureaucracy. Some kids are good fits - I wasn't. The system gives you bad grades and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ferreira/the-factory-model-of-education-is-a-gargantuan-bureaucracy-some-kids/) [Jose Ferreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ferreira/) > [Catholic schools prepare every student to meet the challenges of their future by developing their mind, yes, but also their body and their soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-vitter/catholic-schools-prepare-every-student-to-meet-the-challenges-of/) [David Vitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-vitter/) > [The purpose of schools should not be to prepare students for more school. We should be seeking to have fully engaged students now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donalyn-miller/the-purpose-of-schools-should-not-be-to-prepare-students-for-more/) [Donalyn Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donalyn-miller/) > [In my opinion the prevailing systems of education are all wrong, from the first stage to the last stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-duane/in-my-opinion-the-prevailing-systems-of-education-are-all-wrong-from/) William Duane > [“The question to ask about education is not ‘What can I do with it?’ That is the wrong question because it concentrates on instrumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-f-holmes/the-question-to-ask-about-education-is-not-what-can-i-do-with-it-that/) [Arthur F. Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-f-holmes/) > [This notion that I was somehow special and deserving of a more involved education was wrong.I was smart at taking tests, but I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamasi-washington/this-notion-that-i-was-somehow-special-and-deserving-of-a-more/) [Kamasi Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamasi-washington/) > [The public school education system has done so much for me that it would be wrong not give anything back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-warren/the-public-school-education-system-has-done-so-much-for-me-that-it/) [Amanda Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-warren/) > [It's really up to the acting community to be willing to be educated about what performance capture is in order to fully appreciate it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/it-s-really-up-to-the-acting-community-to-be-willing-to-be-educated/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) ## More by Arne Duncan > [ I just think we can't do enough of this \[student exchanges\]... And when you get young children traveling internationally, I think they come back… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/i-just-think-we-can-t-do-enough-of-this-student-exchanges-and-when/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Other countries haves passed us by. They're outworking us. They're outcompeting us. We have got to wake up and we have got to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/other-countries-haves-passed-us-by-they-re-outworking-us-they-re/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [We all have a role to play - the President, Congress, parents, students and schools - in making college affordable and keeping the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/we-all-have-a-role-to-play-the-president-congress-parents-students/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [States should not balance their budgets on the backs of students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/states-should-not-balance-their-budgets-on-the-backs-of-students/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Borrowing to pay for college used to be the exception; now it's the rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/borrowing-to-pay-for-college-used-to-be-the-exception-now-it-s-the/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Far too many of our children today, our students, need remedial education. We have been lying to them. They're not really ready for college.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/far-too-many-of-our-children-today-our-students-need-remedial/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Whether it's in an inner-city school or a rural community, I want those students to have a chance to take A.P. biology and A.P.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/whether-it-s-in-an-inner-city-school-or-a-rural-community-i-want/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [So instead of watching TV, we read every night together as a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/so-instead-of-watching-tv-we-read-every-night-together-as-a-family/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Surveys show that many talented and committed young people are reluctant to enter teaching for the long haul because they think the profession is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/surveys-show-that-many-talented-and-committed-young-people-are/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Almost 24 million children - one in three - are likely growing up without their father involved in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/almost-24-million-children-one-in-three-are-likely-growing-up-without/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [We've seen more reform in the last year than we've seen in decades, and we haven't spent a dime yet. It's staggering how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/we-ve-seen-more-reform-in-the-last-year-than-we-ve-seen-in-decades/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [I believe that education is the civil rights issue of our generation. And if you care about promoting opportunity and reducing inequality, the classroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/i-believe-that-education-is-the-civil-rights-issue-of-our-generation/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [Historically the Department of Education hasn't been doing enough to drive the sustainability movement, and today, I promise that we will be a committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/historically-the-department-of-education-hasn-t-been-doing-enough-to/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [State governments generate less revenue in a recession. As state leaders struggle to make up for lost revenue, legislatures tend to cut funding for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/state-governments-generate-less-revenue-in-a-recession-as-state/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) > [We have had this massive effort on K-12 reform, raising standards, great teachers, great principals, turning around chronically failing schools, raising the bar, huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/we-have-had-this-massive-effort-on-k-12-reform-raising-standards/) [Arne Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) [Explore all 58 Arne Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/) ## More 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) Comic Strip Mama > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) Bella James > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) Browse all 771 21st century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century. Today, our schools must prepare all students for college and careers-and do far more to personalize instruction and employ the smart use of technology.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arne Duncan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wrong-model-for-the-21st/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "21st century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wrong-model-for-the-21st/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/arne-duncan-11784_21st-century_the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wr_2413805.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The factory model of education is the wrong model for the 21st century. Today, our schools must prepare all…” — Arne Duncan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arne Duncan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-duncan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The factory model of education is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wrong-model-for-the-21st/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-duncan/the-factory-model-of-education-is-the-wrong-model-for-the-21st/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```