It begins with educating uneducated parents on the value of education -- the emphasis has to begin at home. Until then, all the money in the world won't solve the problem (unless you can take the children away from their parents.
Ok, I agree we need to blow up the current system (as with much of our government structure, frankly). But can/will it be done and how can we do it without damaging the current generation? And I agree it begins at home. It's sad how many parents do not value the importance of their kid(s)' education. Many view school as a daycare. ugh.
Good schools are schools that have good students. Good students come from intact families. So, the more intact families we have, the better our schools will perform. Unfortuantely, the people who ***** the most about family issues not mattering are also the ones that ***** the most about our public schools' struggles.
Well, the trillions of dollars we have thrown at the public education system have gotten us to where we are. So, no - throwing MORE money at the problem will not help us. Face it. Some people just don't want to be educated. You can't force them to learn. They just don't want it. It's a free country. The question is do you allow these people to keep sucking on the government teet for the rest of their lives?
This is one of those times where Laphroaig is just spouting nonsense. Good schools have good curricula, presented and tought by high quality professional teachers. Like any enterprise their success is a function of their plan and the skill level of their employees. Now, as for intact families, certainly there's a connection to performance, but Divorce or abandonment or dual-income realated parent absences really aren't the key factors anymore than it is in any workplace. The truth is that our "good schools" (below the university level) are very sub-par by European standards because we don't care about education. We spend plenty, but our priorities are really around baby-sitting and containment, not education. I mean, Austin high is terrible, in my view. Brykerwoods elementary isn't any good either. Nice kids, nice families, nice teachers, terrible curriculum, horrible metrics. Garbage in, garbage out/
Emphasize education as much as we emphasize celebrity worship and we're done. That would do it. If adults and the media outlets they own were to make as big deal out of learning as we do out of Paris Hilton's dog, we'd be well on our way. I am so afraid of schools for my kids. I have a 21 month old that can speak better than most 3 year olds - because most 3 year olds have to sit around other 3 year olds and talk 3 year old... that's what's going to happen when he hits school, because our school teaches to the lowest common denominator, because that's how we see education, instead of seeing it as the important foundation that it is. The more I learn, the more I can do. Whether it's fix toilets or fix bankrupt companies. Of course, if you already have what you want, why would care about getting others educated? In America, you don't give back until you've gotten it all (it seems) and then you're worried about what you're giving not going toward the right goal. I wish schools had a market system other than ability to afford a house where people give a ****. Hell, close some schools and build parks.
I'd say based on the level of HS education I got my teachers were by and large vastly overpaid. Of course if there was an offer of more money then maybe someone who knew **** would take the job. Chicken or egg. One of the biggest issues I see is we no longer encourage critical thinking on anything. We simply teach them what they need to know to translate some nonesense back onto a government mandated standardized test and call it good. that is not the way things should be going. It is becoming that way in university too which was one of the reasons I decided to go to grad school abroad.
I audit Texas school districts for a living. A few years ago , the state mandated a 'at risk students audit'. The biggest indicator on how well a school district does on Taks or how well the district's students do in the classroom is how many of the districts children are on free and reduced lunches. The same % that isn't on the program is the same % that does well. Low income families have children that under perform in the classroom. In the same school, middle income kids do alot better. For kids to do better in school, the underlying causes of poverty in the childrens family must be addressed, namely single parent households.
No amount of money will help. Parents need to emphasize education to their children, so that when the child comes to school they are willing/able to learn. If the parents don't care the child surely won't Also, I think more vocational training will help. College is not for everyone. At least the kid would be ready for a real job upon graduation. Having two parents only helps if they care about their childs future. I know many single parent children, who are successful in life, because education was a must not an option!
OK, I think that most of us are on the same page here... the flaw in modern education has less do with funding and more to do with parental involvement, which is a far harder problem to deal with than raising funds. Got it. However, society requires bright minds and the next generation has to add talent to workforce. Period. Our current system doesnt recognize the realities that we are describing above and simply treats all of the students the same. Thus, children with the capacity and intelligence to excel are taught at the same ability level as children who have learning impediments, or flat could care less. I agree that all kids should be offered a top flight education, but at some point the state has to discharge its obligation to society and train and educate the talented kids at the level they should be learning at. The current system's emphasis on 'basic skills' and the fact that schools now focus on Taks to the exclusion of all else ensures that those students who could be excelling in advanced disciplines are never really exposed to them. Standardized tests are not evil. They are designed to assess basic skills, skills all students should possess. I understand that some have difficulty obtaining them, but many do not require any additional instruction to pass TAKS beyond what typical curriculm provides. They should not be bogged down studying more for TAKS and not exploring other curricular areas. You get restore ability grouping and convince districts to allow kids who don't need to spend a month studying for TAKS to continue forward with advanced studies, you would make a good first step.
pevodog, how does that relate with immigrants from Korea, Vietnam, and China who came over dirt poor, worked multiple jobs, but their kids had a lot of academic success?
