And, she is a controversial opponent of our current education system.
Born in New York City, Dr. Fournier’s family moved back to its native Puerto Rico when she was a young teenager. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Dr. Fournier filled prescriptions and reflected constantly on her love for learning. A desire to find the right track for her life sent her back to the university for a master’s degree in public health with a major focus in demography.
As she surveyed, collected, and analyzed demographic statistics - developing her own visions of the future - she felt a lack of fulfillment she could not overcome. Fournier returned to the university once again and began working on her doctorate, this time in education philosophy.
Dr. Fournier’s Childhood and Early Teens
Fournier rambled the upper west side of Manhattan, scouring the public library, which became her first love. Always thirsting for knowledge, Fournier used books and her imagination to transport her to remote places around the globe. The library quickly became her playground.
Various teachers in the New York City public school system also fed her desire for learning. She credits the city’s public school and library systems as a foundation for her success as an educator. Specifically, she credits the Washington Heights elementary school she attended. There, she was allowed to develop creatively at a very young age and was encouraged to think critically and to apply her knowledge so that she could create new knowledge.
Thankfully for her, a few teachers in the New York City school system were bucking the industrial era teaching format the country had adopted post World War II, even though the country was already moving toward a knowledge-based world with the advent of technology.
This concept – that America is still following a post WWII industrial education model today – is what has Dr. Fournier at odds with the current educational system.
Various teachers in the New York City public school system also fed her desire for learning. She credits the city’s public school and library systems as a foundation for her success as an educator. Specifically, she credits the Washington Heights elementary school she attended. There, she was allowed to develop creatively at a very young age and was encouraged to think critically and to apply her knowledge so that she could create new knowledge.
Thankfully for her, a few teachers in the New York City school system were bucking the industrial era teaching format the country had adopted post World War II, even though the country was already moving toward a knowledge-based world with the advent of technology.
This concept – that America is still following a post WWII industrial education model today – is what has Dr. Fournier at odds with the current educational system.
Dr. Fournier’s Call For Change
In 1979, she began assessing children, seeing the same problems in both public and private school students, noting that the issues were not stemming from a lack of money for education but were due to an outdated education model. Fournier began emphasizing in speeches and consultations she made around the country that the post-WWII industrial model of education must change, no matter what it took.
She vowed not to give in or give up on her message that the United States must change its educational model to a knowledge-based model if America is to continue to compete in a global economy, a message she still delivers today.
To Dr. Fournier, education is about more than memorizing facts, passing tests and receiving grades (the industrial era learning model she opposes). It’s about understanding how students learn so they cross from learning to knowing – what they know, what they do not know and what they must question. By knowing how to learn, they become the knowledge innovators and creators of not just while in school but for the future as well.
She vowed not to give in or give up on her message that the United States must change its educational model to a knowledge-based model if America is to continue to compete in a global economy, a message she still delivers today.
To Dr. Fournier, education is about more than memorizing facts, passing tests and receiving grades (the industrial era learning model she opposes). It’s about understanding how students learn so they cross from learning to knowing – what they know, what they do not know and what they must question. By knowing how to learn, they become the knowledge innovators and creators of not just while in school but for the future as well.
Dr. Fournier Today
Dr. Fournier’s column, Hassle-Free Homework, was published for twenty years by the Scripps Howard News Service. She created and authored the column, which was distributed to more than 300 newspapers around the country. Simply Google “Dr. Yvonne Fournier” and you’ll find her weekly Hassle-Free Homework column on a variety of newspaper and news aggregator web sites.
Numerous features and articles have been written over the years about Dr. Fournier.
Numerous features and articles have been written over the years about Dr. Fournier.