WALDOBORO — Look out, proponents of status quo education. Several teens of the Midcoast area have done their homework, and they have a few suggestions for the improvement of learning.

High school representatives from Medomak Valley, Oceanside, and Lincoln Academy took to the podium Friday, Nov. 20, to share their findings through a PechaKucha format of discussing 20 slides in 20 seconds per slide. This presentation was a part of the Informed Young Leader Series. Each participant conducted his or her research and prepared for the event as an extracurricular activity with no school credit earned.

Raise the status of teachers, said Stephanie Hill, of Medomak Valley High School, in Waldoboro. Stephanie cited a Forbes magazine report that showed a ranking of teachers similar with hairdressers, taxi drivers, and waitresses. This categorization of low compensation and low social status was compared with the current best-ranked nation for education, Finland. Finland requires masters degrees for most teachers, yet those teachers are socially equal to doctors and lawyers.

Provide equal funding for U.S. schools. According to Stephanie, Medomak Valley High School spent $11,259 per student for the 2013/2014 academic year. At the same time, Machias High School spent $25,768 per student.

“How do we expect students to compete on a global level when they cannot compare to the students of neighboring towns?” Stephanie said.

Reform American colleges, said Emily Davis, of Oceanside, in Rockland. Do we truly need a college education? According to Emily, the quest for intellectual knowledge at the higher level has been replaced with the simple need to get a degree in order to get a job.

“With the astronomical cost of college, there is more pressure on students to earn high grades in order to land a high-paying job in order to pay off the college debt,” said Emily.

She also stated that college has become more of a business, unemployment remains high, and, since teachers weren’t always required to have a degree to teach, quality of teaching has not increased.

Abolish standardized testing, said McKenzie Wing, of Medomak High School. Standardized testing does not accurately evaluate the knowledge of a student, nor does the method of teaching to the test foster learning skills, according to McKenzie.

“Future leaders, or people of the work force, will not be sitting at a desk filling in the bubble they believe is going to get them the best score on a test,” she said.

Expand the arts curriculum education, said Hindley Wang and Anton Kalmysh, of Lincoln Academy, in Newcastle. Art is abstract and stimulates different senses, allowing for a variation of critical thinking.

Encourage open discussion, said Noah Jordan of Lincoln Academy. A lot of students are not engaged in subjects they may otherwise find interesting because of the rigid sitting and listening format.

Though the students researched and wrote reports on their chosen topics, each of these leaders has a personal background to relate their opinions. Those range from starting at small, hands-on middle schools and transitioning to larger high schools; foreign exchange programs; participation in Dirigo; and one People to People ambassador.

When asked if they had interest in meeting with the governor to discuss their findings, at least a few of these young leaders said yes.