Issue '04: Education

[ATFFL]

Nym, I'll see your son of a public school teacher and raise you one actual school teacher.

The problem is not money.  We have more than enough.  Most states are over funded from No Child Left Behind.  Good bill, but it needs some improvement.

The less political involvement in education, the better.  This is not just the federal level, but the local as well.  Tell us what you want the kids to learn, then shut the hell up and get the F*** out of our way.  

I am a rarity, a teacher who advocates standardized testing at the end of the year.  Tell me everything you want my students to learn to pass the test and I will be sure to teach them that.

Give up the notion of "no child" as there are kids that are sadly beyond hope.  They have no self motivation and think that school keeps them form earning money.  In HS, there is not much I can do to help them.  If I get the job in middle school I am up for, I can hopefully get to them early enough.

If they really want to get better schools they will take all that extra funding and throw it straight into teacher salary.  ANd tie a nice bonus system to the kids score on the final tests.

[ATFFL]

The problem with the standardized tests, though, is that teachers should be allowed to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of the student, and the teachers should be trusted to know what's important and what isn't, not some bureaucrat or politician who wrote the test. The tests aren't necessarily well-written to reflect what students actually need to know.

As for kids with no motiviation, yes this is a huge problem, and it all goes back to parents not being responsible and instilling these values at a young age.

The problem with some of the current tests is that politicians take a part in writing them.

For most classes it is not hard to write a standard test.  We know what math is suspposed to be taught and what science is taught.  Social Studies is pretty simple too.

English is probably the hardest.  Grammar is easy enough to test, but reading comprehension and writing are a bit harder.  Not impossible though.

[ATFFL]

There you go then. You don't believe my wealth exists. Dollars are supposed to be able to get you things...that's kinda the point.

I never said that. More dollars should get you more products and more services.

But more dollars should not buy you more opportunity to attain more dollars in the future. All should have the ability to attain what you have if they are as smart as you, as creative as you, and as hard-working as you.

You must despise the stock market and entrepreneurship.

[ATFFL]

Nym is only part right.  WHen you see the US scores compared to scores from Europe you are seeing hte average of all US students compared to the average of the top 20% or so for the European nations.

This is because many European nations limit who can get what level of education at all points in the students life.  

[ATFFL]

Nym is only part right.  WHen you see the US scores compared to scores from Europe you are seeing hte average of all US students compared to the average of the top 20% or so for the European nations.

This is because many European nations limit who can get what level of education at all points in the students life.  

How am I only part right then? Sounds like I'm all right, unless you mean I'm only part right because this only applies to Europe, and not the rest of the world. I was pretty certain that this was also true of Japan and most countries in Southeast Asia as well, though. If I'm wrong, please correct me there.

No, you said the students focus on one area.  While this is partly true, the top 20% are the top average in all fields, not the top 20% in each field.

I'm tired and that reads confusing to me.  Let me give an example.  If we are comparing math and science the US uses the average of all US students.  Germany (for example) uses their top 20%, not jus tthe top 20% in science.  SOme of the students factored in will be mediocre in science but excellent in math or language skills.  But since there is a tendency for students gifted in one area to be able to perform at or above average in all fields these non-science specialists do not pull down the average all that much.

If this is still not clear I will try to explain it again in the morning.